Talk from CSUN 2017 conference

1. Superhuman Computing Lab
University of Colorado Boulder
AssistiveWearables: EmergingTrends and
Design Considerations
Shaun Kane (@shaunkane), Halley Profita (@halleyprofita),
Michael Lightner, and Nikolaus Correll

2. Follow along with this talk
• http://bitly.com/csun2017
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3. Last year’s talk
• Slides available at http://bitly.com/csun2016
• Examples of recent wearable assistive devices
• Wearables for sensory substitution, rehabilitation,
communication support, emotional and behavioral support
• Design considerations for assistive wearables
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4. In this talk
• Update on recent trends in wearable assistive technology
• 2 studies on the social implications of assistive wearables
• Projects from our research lab
• Next steps, challenges, and opportunities
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5. Why is this an exciting time?
• Wearables are a growing market
• Assistive-ish devices
• Wearables as fashion items
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6. The wearables
market
• Approximately 40
million devices sold in
2016 (up from 32
million in 2015)
• New form factors:
hearables, smart
glasses
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7. Blurred lines between assistive and non-assistive devices
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Hy on Indiegogo
Apple Watch wheelchair mode

8. Wearables as fashion items
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Apple Watch Bands from Casetify
DotWatch
Bradley watch

9. Advances in textile-based computing
• Textile based computing components
• Flexible circuit boards, conductive thread, etc
• Modular tools for creating wearable devices
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10. Textile-based computing
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Gilliland et al.,TheTextile Interface Swatchbook LilyPadArduino

11. Do itYourself!
LilyPad beating heart
headband by Becky Stern
and Jimmie Rodgers
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12. Studies from Our Lab
superhuman.cs.colorado.edu
(or shaunkane.com)
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13. The big idea
• The growing availability of wearable technology can affect
perceptions of technology and the user
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14. Understanding perceptions of wearable
technology in public
• Collected data from 1200 web
users about perceptions of a
wearable computing user
• Adjusted physical appearance of
user and description of video
(disability, assistive use)
• Is the user: cool, awkward, nerdy,
distracting
• Paper 14

15. Findings
• In general, participants reported that they felt more positively
about examples when the individual was identified as having a
disability
• More specificity about the use resulted in more positive reactions
• “I would be less likely to form a negative opinion of a disabled
person wearing such a device, because I would likely believe
that it was helpful or necessary for them. A non-disabled
person using such a device in public is more likely to seem
obnoxious.”
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16. Takeaways
• Explaining that a device is
assistive (and what it is
useful for) improves
perception
– Similar to service dog jacket
• But, this threatens privacy
• Can we provide control over
disclosure?
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17. Understanding customization of on-body assistive devices
• Studied an online community
with over 4,000 users
dedicated to decorating
hearing aids
• Analyzed posts, questions,
methods used
• Link to paper
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18. Findings
• Many people decorated their devices
using stickers, colored tape, etc.
• Shared techniques online
• Many examples involved parents
designing for their kids
• Decorations were contextual
• Decoration seemed to differ by gender
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19. 19

20. Follow-up interviews
• “…it means you have a certain power over something which is
attached to you that you wish rather wasn't attached to you.”
• “Where before it would be unwanted attention… it’s now
compliments.”
• “By drawing attention to them you're signaling to other
people that it's okay to talk about that. As it's an indicator for
something to ask about it.”
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21. Takeaways
• Decoration reveals a
strong desire to
customize devices
• Suggests design trends
(coordination, using
favorite characters)
• Challenges to
supporting DIY
modification
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22. 22

23. Example Wearable Projects from Our Lab
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24. Flutter dress
• Spatial Awareness of Sounds for Individuals with
Hearing Impairments
• Microphones and vibration motors embedded in
garment detect and relay sound direction
• Leveraging fashion to integrate hardware
• Profita et al., Flutter: An exploration of an
assistive garment using distributed sensing,
computation and actuation

25. 5
LightWear – wearable light therapy
Halley Profita, Roseway, Czerwinski
• Wearable light therapy for seasonal affective disorder
• Different form factors (hat, glasses)
• Study participants willing to use in both public and private if
appropriately designed and controllable

26. ChairableTechnology
• Power wheelchairs can be
cumbersome
• How can we make using a
power wheelchair an asset?
• Use wheelchair as a
computing platform
• Papers: 1, 2
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27. 27

28. 28
H ardware

29. Supporting diverse gestures
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30. Wearable AAC devices
• Textile-based wearable AAC device for sports
therapy (Halley Profita)
• Fabric-based user interface
– Flexible
– Can be worn during sports
– Very simple UI
– Not dynamic
– Family collaboration
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31. Challenges and opportunities
• Technical
– Ensure assistive features are integrated into mainstream wearable
platforms
– Allow customization of on-body placement and input/output
– Support remote control from smartphone or PC
• Social
– Ensure policies allow (responsible) use of wearables in public spaces
– Support customization and concealment of devices
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32. Conclusion
• Wearables are not one-size-fits-all solution
• Technology is enabling new kinds of support via wearable
devices
• Challenges to ensure appropriate features included in
emerging wearables platforms
• Assistive wearables: “separate but equal” vs. universal design
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33. How you can get involved
• Talk to me about participating in research
• Graduate programs in computer science, design
• Start a do-it-yourself project
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34. Thank you!
Shaun Kane , Halley Profita, Michael Lightner, and Nikolaus Correll
@shaunkane, @halleyprofita, @correlllab
Universirty of Colorado Boulder
superhuman.cs.colorado.edu
Talk with me for a
demo or about
participating in
research