This paper describes a new Haptic & Audio VirtualEnvironment to allow visually impairedpeaple to have access to the three-dimensional graphic computer world through the sense of touch (using a new dualfinger haptic inregace) and augmented by audio output and voice commands. Such system has been developed within the European project "GRAB".The new system provides an infegratedplatform for the design and developmenf of audio-haptic applications in different fields (architecture, art, aeronautics, medicine,..). In order to demonstrate the validig of the approach, the project was specifically focused on the development of three applications fir visual impairedpeaple: an adventure game, a city map explorer anda chart explorer.Both the n t w environment and the applications were tested by visually impaired people with dfferenf profiles (congenitally blind. advantageously blind, partially sighte d,..) to evaluate the usejhess and potential of these developments. The results of this validation confirm the validity of the system. Overall, it seems the GRAB system is feasible for these kinds of applications. although some features require some adjustments to create future usable tools.
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) aims to enhance quality of life of elder and impaired people. Thanks to the advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and medical technologies, it is now possible to support new home healthcare services to improve their quality of life. In particular, Near Field Communication Technology (NFC) seems to play an important role in elderly homecare.In this paper, a health monitoring system is shown where users can identify themselves by simple touch with an NFC-enabled device and different health information can be wirelessly collected and associated with the identified user. Furthermore, this system enables caregivers or physicians to monitor these health readings and patient actions at home. This system was tested with 17 users that led us to a better understanding of usability and effectiveness of this health system and user needs, and showed their preferences for a certain NFC-enabled device to be used in user identification.
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