Intouch Health, a company founded in 2002, provides remote presence solutions for health care, in the form of robots. The latest robot developed by Intouch Health is RP Vita. It has environmental awareness that allows it to move around a hospital without bumping into people or things. The doctor controls the robot through the use of an iPad by pointing to where it should go. The patient sees the doctor's head displayed on a screen perched on the top of the robot, as depicted in the picture below:
It sounds a bit strange, but these robots are in many hospitals, and are useful in rural areas where there are few medical specialists. The presentation below explains the key points of the use of tele-robotics in medicine: RP-VITA: A Glimpse at the Future of Healthcare Delivered Today: WIRED Health Conference, 10/16/12 Yulun Wang: Meet Dr. Roboto, Your New Bedside Caregiver from WIRED on FORA.tv
Traditional remote controls for televisions and home media centers are particularly frustrating to use, in my opinion. There are too many buttons, the buttons are too small, and it is easy to mess it all up. (I've touched on this topic in a number of blog posts, such asUX of ITV: The User Experience and Interactive TV (or Let's Stamp Out Bad Remote Controls)and others, linked at the end of this post.)
There is hope for the future! I'm happy to share a video about a method of remote control that might make interacting with my TV less annoying...and possibly pleasant!
Researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt have been working on a way for people to control their TV without a remote or hand-held device. I think they are on the right path. The video shows how UI elements, mapped to the hand, can be touched, with accuracy, to interact eyes-free with a large-screen TV. This work won the Best Paper award at EuroITV'12.
Niloofar Dezfuli, Mohammadreza Khalilbeigi, Jochen Huber, Florian Müller, and Max Mühlhäuser. 2012. Leveraging the palm surface as an eyes-free tv remote control. In Proceedings of the 2012 ACM annual conference extended abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts (CHI EA '12). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2483-2488. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/2223656.2223823
I promised my colleagues at Wolfe School that I'd share something new and cool upon my return from a recent CHI 2011* conference.
StoryVisit was one of the "take-aways" I brought back. StoryVisitis a web-based application developed to promote interaction between grandparents (or parents) and children who are remotely located. It is available on-line for free as part of a collaborative project between researchers from the Nokia Research Center, the Sesame Workshop, the University of Arkansas, and the MIT Media Lab
As soon as I saw the StoryVisit demonstration, I knew that the concept had potential to be useful to promote literacy and social communication among students with special needs, such as those who have autism spectrum disorders. (My story of how I tweaked StoryVisit for use with students is located near the end of this post.) Credit: Nokia Research
One of the good features of the StoryVisit website is that it supports dialogic reading between the adult and child, by providing a Sesame Street character embedded in the story to help guide the process.
According to Grover J. Whitehurst, this method can support language development in young children. In dialogic reading, the adult who reads with a child helps the child take a more active role in the process by following what is known as "PEER": Prompting the child to talk about the story, evaluating the child's response, expanding the response by rephrasing and elaborating on what the child has said, and repeating the prompt to assess what the child has learned or grasped from the story. This can include a discussion about the pictures that accompany the story, and questions that guide the child to think about the relationships between the characters, or prompts that help the child make predictions and draw inferences.
To get an understanding of the StoryVisit application, first take a look at how it works with adults and children - below are two related videos and an abstract from the StoryVisit presentation at CHI 2011 and a couple of related videos:
Here is short preview:
Abstract "StoryVisit allows children and long-distance adults to experience a sense of togetherness by reading children's story books together over a distance. StoryVisit combines video conferencing and connected books: remote grown-up and child readers can see and hear each other, and can also see and control the same e-book. We report on research with 61 families - over 200 users including parents, children and long-distance readers - who used StoryVisit in their homes with a long-distance reader for at least one reading session. In addition, we report qualitative findings regarding nineteen of the families who participated in telephone interviews and four families who were monitored and interviewed by researchers at home. Results show that connected e-book video chat sessions last about five times as long as the typical video chats reported in previous research on families with young children. Moreover, the addition of an animated character increased session lengths by another 50%. StoryVisit usage peaked for families with three year olds, showing that sustained distance interactions with very young children are possible if communication technologies incorporate joint activities that engage children and adults."
Here's how I tweaked Storyvisit to work in a school setting:
On my first morning back at Wolfe, I decided to use StoryVisit with two high school-level students who have autism and cognitive delays. My goal was to familiarize the students with Storyvisit so they could use it to read stories to younger elementary-level students with autism who are in a self-contained classroom. I went to the Storyvisit website and registered Wolfe school as the "Wolfe family", using some of the teacher's email addresses as "family members".
During my session with the two young men, I placed them far apart in a large therapy room where my office is located. Each student used earphones, since I was aware that there might be an audio feedback problem (which will be fixed, according to the Storyvisit folks). Since the two students were not too far apart, I simply ran back and forth between them to make sure things were going OK and prompt them if needed.
I coached one student to play the role of the reader (grandparent) and the other to play the role of a younger child. We got this accomplished successfully within our 1/2 hour session, an amazing feat, given the nature of the students' disabilities. They especially liked the video conferencing part, something that they've done at school in the past. They communicated with each other better through this medium than in person, as the required less prompting.
The two young men were so excited about this process that after they returned to class, they suggested to their teacher that they wanted to practice with the application with their classmates. They wanted to use Storyvisit to read to the younger students as soon as possible.
The teacher, without much prior knowledge about the application, was able to set it up quickly. She used the application during her morning group reading activity, displaying the Storyvisit website on a SMARTBoard. She was impressed with the "Block Party" story - especially the great recipes included at the end of the story.
The teacher mentioned that the recipes could be used to create snacks for a "block party" between the two classes after the StoryBook session. The students could use the recipes to create shopping lists for a community outing to a local supermarket, and then prepared during Activities of Daily Living class (the classroom is equipped with a kitchen.)
To see how the elementary-level students would respond to the Storyvisit website, I visited the classroom and demonstrated the Block Party book to the students using a SMARTboard. I used "Grandparent" mode, without the webcam, since I was with the students. As I went through the story, the teacher mentioned that the webcam feature would be ideal for including students who use sign language in Storyvisit activities. (She happens to be the mother of daughters who have hearing impairments.)
SOMEWHAT RELATED Since the Storyvisit activity was so positive with my students, I decided to dig a little deeper. I use video quite a bit with students with autism spectrum disorders, and work with students to establish joint-attention skills and behaviors. My hunch is that this is an area that warrants further exploration, especially for children and teens with autism spectrum disorders, their classmates, peers, and families.
The Co-Viewing Connection: "A blog for grown-ups about using media and technology with kids" The New Coviewing: "Promoting Children's Learning Through Joint Media Engagement"
Why this is important: My grandson, "reading" at 6 months old:
My mom and my grandson reading together:
*"The ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems is the premier international conference of human-computer interaction. CHI 2011 focuses on leveraging our diversity and connecting people, cultures, technologies, experiences, and ideas."
I'm thinking about getting one of the new "internet ready" TVs. I have a serious reason to do this. I'm working on some interactive video projects, and a couple of my projects are geared for teens and young adults who have autism.* My hunch is that many of my students would like to watch- and interact with-content optimized for Google TV and Vimeo's Couch Mode. The content is designed to look good on larger high-resolution flat-screen displays, and I'm sure it would be great on my school's newer SMARTBoards. I need to learn more about developing applications for this purpose.
(Currently I use my HP 22-inch TouchSmart PC to view web-based video content, and to evaluate websites that provide "touchable" and interactive content that might work well on interactive whiteboards.)
At any rate, I've been looking for great videos that have the potential for use at work with older students who have autism. I'm also looking for effective ways that the students can use to interact with multimedia and video content. This is important, since the students have minimal verbal communication skills, have limited reading ability- if they can read at all. They learn about their world through visual means, and are capable of learning much more - but not through traditional means.
Since our school is focusing on globalization and learning about the cultures of other countries, I've been on the lookout for some interesting videos that might appeal to our students.
Today I came across a great find- Philipp Geist. Who is Philipp Geist? According to his bio, Philipp works internationally as a light and multi-media artist in the mediums of video, performance, photography and painting. Some of his work focuses on architecture, history, and cultural heritage. A good example of his work is the installation he created for a festival in Thailand in 2009:
"The one-hour show is the central part of the celebrations and will be seen by thousands of visitors. It interprets artistically the king's life and his work dedicated to public welfare. The art installation combines images of the kings and his social projects in the past and present with 3D animations of Thai natural and cultural heritage and abstract painterly passages." (from the Vimeo site)
HIGH-RES MULTIMEDIA WEB CONTENT ON LARGE PANEL HD TV!
This might boost holiday gift sales and in turn, give a little jolt to the economy. To do my duty for my country, I will continue to research Internet TV as I narrow down my selection for my new Internet-ready TV.... Below is some Information about Google TV, Google Leanback, and Vimeo's Couch mode that I've recently gathered to share with my IMT followers:
GOOGLE TV: "The web is now a channel"
"With Google Chrome and Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Google TV lets you access everything on the web. Watch your favorite web videos, view photos, play games, check fantasy scores, chat with friends, and do everything else you're accustomed to doing online. Plus, the world's best websites are now being perfected for television -- check out our Spotlightgallery for examples." "The worlds' favorite websites are being tweaked and perfected for the television." -Google TV
I'm not too excited about the design of the application that transforms your Android phone or iPhone into a remote control. I hate most remote controls. According to Google TV, multiple phones can control the same TV, and you can use your voice to search, which seems like it would be a good thing... I wonder if they tested this out with real families, not just families of Google TV techies .
GOOGLE LEANBACK Video (Integrated into GoogleTV)
Google Leanback When I visited the Leanback website, I encountered the following screen with a suggestion that I type in what I was looking for. I typed in "lynnvm", the name of my YouTube channel. Apparently Google provides you with a randomly generated featured video that appears in the background that has nothing to do with what you are looking for.
In this screen shot, my YouTube channel offerings are in the foreground. "Maleficent Halloween Tutorial" is what played in the background:
VIMEO INTRODUCES COUCH MODE: Vimeo's version of Google's Leanback is Couch Mode. It is optimized for use on Google TV, so that makes things less complicated in the world of videoviewingland. According to Ryan Hefner's article on the Vimeo staff blog, "Couch Mode is a special new section of Vimeo that allows you to watch collections of videos (such as Staff Picks, your inbox, your videos, etc.) completely uninterrupted like a TV channel." Couch Mode works on computers, but since it relies on HTML5 and CSS3, without Flash, it only works with Chrome and Safari browsers. For more information, see the video below:
"A few of our favorites include Net-A-Porter, which lets you watch runway videos and shop for high fashion; Meegenius, a place where you can read and customize children’s books; TuneIn, a personal radio for your TV; and The Onion which always gives us a good laugh." - Google TV Blog
MeeGenius If you are a teacher, parent, kid, or lover of children's books, visit this interactive website ASAP. It is optimized for Google TV and works nicely on touch-enabled screens and devices.
As I was wrapping up this post, I came across information about Viewsonic's new 3D, glassesless pocket camcorder. I'll update information about this new gadget when I have a chance to learn more about it. !
Comment: The idea of developing interactive multimedia apps in 3D intrigues me. At this point, the technology is too new for an "armchair technologist" like me to pursue with my incredibly busy work obligations. I don't have the money to buy a 3D video camera. But I might try this out, if it is true that it only costs $238.00!
* About me: I presently work full time as a school psychologist at a high school and at a program for students with more severe disabilities, including autism. The students I work with have made amazing gains through the use of interactive multimedia applications, and also have responded well to video presented on the large IWB screens.
I went back to school to take computer courses, initially so I could make interactive multimedia applications and games. I continue to blog about interactive multimedia, emerging/ new technologies, and topics related to post-WIMP HCI/UX/ID/IA. Although my "spare time" is limited, I try to keep up my technical skills whenever I can by working on projects that can support the students I work with.
Today we switched from DISH to Time Warner Cable, and tonight I had to battle with a new remote control, the UR5U-8780L. The experience with this remote led me to search for something better. What a coincidence! In this day and age of touch-screens, I was hoping for something better than....
It is 2010, and with TVs connected to the internet, we'll be interacting with content in ways we could only dream of in the recent past. Interactive TV is here. Do I really have to push a lot of buttons in order to have the best "interactive" experience?
"Google TV brings everything you love about the web to your television"
INTRODUCING GOOGLE TV
Transcript of the Google TV video:
"Back when there were only a few networks, watching TV was pretty simple. You turned on the TV, and if you didn't like what was playing, you changed the channel. But these days, TV can be pretty complicated. Figuring out what you want to watch is hard enough, and that's only the beginning. Once you've chosen a program, you have to figure out when it's playing, and which of hundreds of channels it's on. It's like you have to change your schedule to fit your TV's schedule. In fact, many of us end up watching videos on the web, because it is easier to find things that you want. I mean think about it, more and more of our favorite shows and videos are showing up online these days, and you can get to them really easily, whenever you want, just by typing in what you're looking for."
"The problem is, these smaller screens don't really compare to our home entertainment systems. Which leads us to a pretty big question: If the web is so smart, and our TVs are so fun to watch, why do we have to choose? Why can't they work together?
"Well, now they can. Introducing Google TV. Google TV brings everything you love about the web to your television. Some new TVs will come with it built-in, or you can get a separate box for the TV you already own. Either way, the way it works is very simple. Right on your TV screen, you simply type in what you're looking for...anything you're looking for, and Google TV will find it."
"It's basically an entertainment hub that searches all of your channels, recorded shows, YouTube, and other web sites. If you find something you like, you can add it to your home screen where you will always see your favorite channels, shows, websites, even music playlists and photo albums. That way, you can get to things really quick. And with a full web browser, you get unlimited access to the entire Internet, so you can do stuff like browse photos or update your status. And that's just scratching the surface."
"By opening up your TV to all of the improvements and innovation that the web has to offer, Google TV will make your TV smarter and easier to use. So you'll be able to spend a lot less time finding what you want, and a lot more time watching what you want."
Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV you know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. Watch an overview video below, sign up for updates, and learn more about how to develop for Google TV.
"Google TV is a new experience for television that combines the TV that you already know with the freedom and power of the Internet. With Google Chrome built in, you can access all of your favorite websites and easily move between television and the web. This opens up your TV from a few hundred channels to millions of channels of entertainment across TV and the web. Your television is also no longer confined to showing just video. With the entire Internet in your living room, your TV becomes more than a TV — it can be a photo slideshow viewer, a gaming console, a music player and much more."
SOMEWHAT RELATED I wonder what the user interface will be for navigating around Google TV. This just might be the opportunity for a next-gen universal remote control to emerge. I hope so, because I've had usability issues with the current state of my remote controls and my DVR + HDTV viewing experiences.
FYI: A few of my previous posts related to remote controls, web-browsing on HD TV's, and so on:
