The emergence of off-screen interaction devices is bringing the field of virtual reality to a broad range of applications where virtual objects can be manipulated without the use of traditional peripherals. However, to facilitate object interaction, other stimuli such as haptic feedback are necessary to improve the user experience. To enable the identification of virtual 3D objects without visual feedback, a haptic display based on a vibrotactile glove and multiple points of contact gives users an enhanced sensation of touching a virtual object with their hands. Experimental results demonstrate the capacity of this technology in practical applications.

No abstract

SnO 2 thin films prepared by reactive rf magnetron sputtering have been investigated to examine the effect of deposition parameters on its crystallinity and electrical and optical properties. Of particular interest was whether the nonequilibrium nature of sputtering could create large departures from the bulk defect properties, especially in amorphous films. Two deposition parameters were examined: substrate temperature (Tsub) and oxygen content. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical transmission, four point probe electrical conductivity, and Hall effect measurements. The crystallinity was found to be enhanced by the incease in each of the three processing variables. Below a substrate temperature of 300°C a large processing window for depositing amorphous SnO2 was found.

No abstract

Arrays of cylindrical microdischarge devices, ∼200 μm in diameter, have been fabricated with internally recessed annular electrodes in multilayer ceramic structures and operated both continuously and with pulsed excitation in the rare gases at pressures up to 800 Torr of Ne and 300 Torr of Xe. The overall thickness of the ceramic structure is ∼1.6 mm and each microdischarge is individually ballasted by a ∼225 kΩ resistor, produced and integrated into the structure by a thick film process. Arrays as large as 13×13 pixels have been tested to date. Spatially uniform glow discharges are generated in the pixels for all of the pressures investigated and strong emission from excited states of the singly charged Xe ion, lying ∼26–27 eV above the neutral (…5p6 1S0) ground state, is observed. For a 169 element array drawing a total current of 30 mA, the output power of the array in the 300–1000 nm spectral region falls to ∼55% of its initial value in ∼8.3 h of continuous operation with a static gas fill.

Higher life expectancy is increasing the number of age-related cognitive impairment cases. It is also relevant, as some authors claim, that physical exercise may be considered as an adjunctive therapy to improve cognition and memory after strokes. Thus, the integration of physical and cognitive therapies could offer potential benefits. In addition, in general these therapies are usually considered boring, so it is important to include some features that improve the motivation of patients. As a result, computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation systems and serious games for health are more and more present. In order to achieve a continuous, efficient and sustainable rehabilitation of patients, they will have to be carried out as part of the rehabilitation in their own home. However, current home systems lack the therapist’s presence, and this leads to two major challenges for such systems. First, they need sensors and actuators that compensate for the absence of the therapist’s eyes and hands. Second, the system needs to capture and apply the therapist’s expertise. With this aim, and based on our previous proposals, we propose an ambient intelligence environment for cognitive rehabilitation at home, combining physical and cognitive activities, by implementing a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) that gathers, as far as possible, the knowledge of a rehabilitation expert. Moreover, smart sensors and actuators will attempt to make up for the absence of the therapist. Furthermore, the proposed system will feature a remote monitoring tool, so that the therapist can supervise the patients’ exercises. Finally, an evaluation will be presented where experts in the rehabilitation field showed their satisfaction with the proposed system.

No abstract

No abstract