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The Government of India offers various schemes for various classes of citizens. Most of the application forms of schemes to be filled are in English and it is observed that monolingual individuals find it difficult to access and fill the forms. This paper addresses the challenges faced by monolingual individuals in India, particularly the elderly, people with impairments, and those from marginalized communities. The proposed work is to create an interactive system called "Dhvani" voicebot, specifically designed for the Kannada language. It helps users in identifying suitable government schemes and fills forms in English. The proposed system is developed using the RASA chatbot framework and NLP techniques to comprehend user utterances. RNN and SVM algorithms are employed to ensure smooth conversation flow and interaction with the users. To enhance scheme suggestion accuracy, a knowledge graph is created, containing relevant data on government schemes. The intent classification model achieves an accuracy of 97%, indicating its ability to accurately understand user intentions. The integration of a knowledge graph improves the accuracy of scheme identification and suggestion to users. The system automates the process of filling out government scheme forms based on user inputs. Dhvani voicebot system presents a practical solution to address the challenges faced by monolingual individuals in accessing government schemes in India. The high accuracy of intent classification and the use of a knowledge graph contribute to the system's effectiveness. The study suggests that this system can be extended to other languages. An automated tool called "Dhvani" will solve the problem of aged, illiterate and physically challenged persons filling forms in post offices and banks. Most of the schemes, pension funds, cash withdrawal, cash deposit is through these organizations. So. the tool makes the process easier for the above mention persons without the help of others. An intent recognition and interactive tool developed in Kannada Language which is widely spoken in Karnataka, India. The digital resources available in Kannada Language is very sparce. Use of technology like interactive tool, Knowledge graph, RNN and SVM are used in the development of the tool. Government scheme recommendation interactively makes the users to choose the scheme faster in an interactive way. The form is filled automatically and can be edited to rectify mistakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vulnerable children refer to the special group of children with deviation in the process of children's psychological development and personality formation due to growth dilemmas. This may incur a series of serious social and family problems. The vulnerable children mainly cover the children suffering from children's psychological problems, such as childhood autism, autism, social anxiety and hypersensitivity, fear, depression, and PTSD arising from other factors. At present, the research results at home and abroad mainly focus on the psychological dynamic correlation investigation and solution discussion of a certain kind of difficult factor in the children's psychological development based on statistical data by the experimental methods, such as scale and model, and there is a blind spot in the humanistic orientation theory construction of psychological treatment for vulnerable children, causing the social reflection on children's psychological predicament from the humanistic perspective cannot be performed in related researches and going against searching for universal and integral theoretical paradigm for solving related problems. Sophisticated technologies for the observations have emerged increasingly for enabling the psychological features of vulnerable children through developmental cognitive neuroscience experiments. This paper introduces humanistic art therapy theory, focuses on the construction of a theoretical paradigm, and verifies its effectiveness based on the experimental results on the psychological development of vulnerable children, with an efficient performance. This study mainly refers to children with difficulty in social inclusion and psychological development. The results showed that two kinds of art therapy can obviously improve the psychological disorders of vulnerable children. The goal was to enhance self-cognition, strengthen emotional interaction, and implement positive motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficits in social verbal communication in individuals with Social Communication Disorder (SCD) is of concern and SCD in the human community is prevalent in large population throughout the globe. Deficits in verbal social communication are prevalent in a large population. This paper aimed to propose internet connected multi-system architecture which is capable to support verbal communication in a social environment for individuals with social communication deficits. Implementation methodology was included with corpus collection for specific communication, deep learning based machine training for intelligent communication, and implementation of the trained algorithm on internet connected electronic multiple social communication devices. The implemented system is smart enough to initiate and maintain two types of communication; the first type includes communication between multiple individuals on the remote location and the second type includes communication with the individual present in the physical listening range. The system was investigated in terms of its algorithmic parameters and found 97% to 100% in terms of training and testing accuracy with negligible mean squared error. Vocal-Friend analysed results based on audio-bot simulative conditions provide more than 91% accuracy, interaction rate and fallback rate. On the basis of the satisfaction analysis, above average results were noticed. In terms of technical implementations and satisfaction analysis, results found acceptable with above average score. Proposed framework is easy to use by caregivers with even having little knowledge. Support individual with deficit to learn social verbal communication skill to survive in society. Aiding parents, caregivers and professionals to understand the communication needs of individuals with communication deficits. Since technology is also grooming in the domain of rehabilitation, so this system could be used in various future applications such as social robots, social virtual assistants etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic evaluation and meta-analysis of the effects of digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithms on speech intelligibility, sound quality and listening effort in adult populations. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Six databases were searched for experimental studies published from 2000 to 2017 in English using the following search terms: "hearing aid" and "noise reduction". A total of 264 unique hits were obtained; out of which, 16 studies were included. The population effect was estimated for speech intelligibility and other subjective measures. From six studies, the population effect estimated for speech intelligibility measures was small (r = 0.28) with zero population variance. Sample size variance accounted for all the effect size variations found across studies. The population effect for subjective measures was medium (r = 0.46 ± 0.10) as calculated from seven studies. Based on a criterion of moderate evidence, this meta-analysis did not reveal a consistent improvement in speech intelligibility with DNR in adult population. The subjective outcome measures (e.g., acceptable noise level and sound quality judgment) showed a moderate positive effect of DNR. The findings of the study will provide useful clinical information in follow up visits in audiologic rehabilitation. The meta-analysis of DNR informs clinicians to create realistic expectations in hearing aid users. This paper summarizes the available data on different outcome measures such as speech intelligibility, listening effort and sound quality. The results of this meta-analysis will help clinical audiologists in devising hearing aid orientation and counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the context of assistive technology, mobility takes the meaning of "moving safely, gracefully, and comfortably".The aim of this article is to provide a system which will be a convenient means of navigation for the Visually Impaired people, in the public transport system. Method: A blind regular commuter who travels by public transport facility finds difficulty in identifying the vehicle that is nearing the stop. Hence, a real-time system that dynamically identifies the nearing vehicle and informs the commuters is necessary. This paper proposes such a system namely the "Vehicle Board Recognition System" (VBRS). Computer Vision techniques such as segmentation, object recognition, text detection and optical character recognition are utilized to build the system, which will detect, analyze, derive and communicate the information to the passengers. Results: Thanks to the rapid development in technology, there are several navigation systems both hand held and wearable, available to help visually impaired (VI) people move comfortably both indoor and outdoor. Many blind people are not comfortable in using these devices or they are not affordable for them. Thus the proposed system gives them the comfort of navigation. Conclusion: This system can be installed in the bus stop to assist the Visually Impaired, from externally rather than their hand held or wearable assistive devices. This proposed system will help the visually impaired to ensure secure navigation be independent of the others develop self confidence. overcome the training, affordability of wearable/ handheld devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Route planning is key support, which can be provided by navigation tools for the blind and visually impaired (BVI) persons. No comprehensive analysis has been reported in the literature on this topic. The main objective of this study is to examine route planning approaches used by indoor navigation tools for BVI persons with respect to the route determination criteria, how user context is integrated, algorithms adopted, and the representation of the environment for route planning. A systematic review was conducted covering the period 1982–July 2018 and thirteen databases. From the 1709 articles that resulted from the initial search, 131 were selected for the study. Route length was the sole factor used to determine the best route in the majority of the studies. Routes with less obstacles, less turns, more landmarks and close to walls were selected by the other studies. User variations were considered in few studies. Unique needs of the BVI persons were addressed by few novel algorithms which had integrated multiple parameters and BVI-friendly route modelling. Differences between the navigation capabilities of the sighted and the BVI community were not a major concern when deciding the optimum routes in the majority of BVI indoor navigation tools. How to trade-off between factors affecting optimum routes, and how to model suitable routes in complex buildings needs to be studied further, looking from the user perspective. Navigation differences between sighted and blind and vision-impaired (BVI) communities are not concerned frequently when planning routes in indoor navigation tools of BVI persons. Selecting routes avoiding areas difficult to traverse, close to walls, having landmarks, and less turns are some approaches used to address the unique needs of the BVI community. Assisting for recovery from veering and real-time obstacle detouring are useful features offered by these tools. Identifying and prioritizing different factors contributing to better routes, concerning user variations, and adopting multi-objective route optimization will help to develop improved route planning methodologies for BVI indoor navigation tool [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motorized shopping carts found at grocery and retail stores provide mobility for those who have difficulty walking through the store or pushing a regular cart. The purpose of this study was to understand the usage of motorized carts in grocery stores and pilot test an air-powered cart to determine its feasibility as a replacement for electric-powered carts as well as identify areas for improvement and preferred users. Users were asked to complete an online survey that assessed their shopping characteristics and experience using the motorized cart. K-Means clustering determined user demographics who chose to use the air-powered carts versus the electric-powered carts. Open-ended comments for improvements were also collected. A total of 65 participants were provided informed consent, 60 participants met inclusion criteria and completed the survey. A majority of the air-powered (N = 29, 91%) and electric-powered (N = 11, 73%) cart users had a positive experience. Clustering found age and type of mobility device owned were significant whether participants chose the air-powered or electric-powered carts. Most suggested improvements for the air-powered carts were better braking, higher speed and a bigger basket while a longer battery life was most suggested for electric-powered carts. Motorized shopping carts are used by a wide variety of individuals. Individuals aged 54 or younger and do not own a mobility device chose to use air-powered more than electric-powered carts. The functional capabilities of the air-powered carts demonstrated their potential to serve as practical replacements for electric-powered carts found in grocery and retail stores. The availability and reliability of motorized shopping carts at retail stores are integral for individuals with physical impairments to complete their shopping needs. The development of novel assistive devices such as air-powered carts provides improved experiences and quality of life. Integrating end-user feedback during the design of assistive technologies is paramount for meeting actual needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explored the challenges of public transport use for individuals on the autism spectrum. It, subsequently, proposed a mobile application solution, coproduced by individuals on the autism spectrum, to facilitate public transport use. We, first, conducted a review of the literature to highlight the challenges people on the autism spectrum face when utilizing public transport. We, then, designed a list of mobile application functionalities that address the identified problems. To validate these functionalities, 27 young autistic adults and 19 families of autistic individuals were employed. Finally, based on the findings, we designed a mobile application that helps facilitate public transport use for those on the autism spectrum. We found that the most prevalent concerns, in public transport use, amongst autistic individuals and their families are safety and spatial awareness. Specific problems include finding one's way to the bus stop, boarding the correct service and disembarking at the correct stop. Interestingly, anxiety about unexpected events was also a barrier. Sensory sensitivity, similarly, was found to be an obstacle. This study defined the challenges of public transport use for autistic individuals and proposed a technological solution. The findings can also inform innovators, public transport providers and policymakers to improve public transport accessibility. People on the autism spectrum heavily rely on other individuals, namely family and friends, for their transportation needs. This dependence results in immobility for the autistic individuals and significant time and economical sacrifice for the person responsible for the transportation. Public transport, a cheap and widely available form of transportation, has not yet been clearly studied with individuals on the autism spectrum. We clearly define the challenges of using public transport and put forward a trip planner mobile application, coproduced by autistic individuals, that facilitate it. In the long term, this enhanced travel independence can lead to greater education and employment opportunities and an overall improved quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To define semi-supervised machine learning (SSML) and explore current and potential applications of this analytic strategy in rehabilitation research. Method: We conducted a scoping review using PubMed, GoogleScholar and Medline. Studies were included if they: (1) described a semi-supervised approach to apply machine learning algorithms during data analysis and (2) examined constructs encompassed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The first two authors reviewed identified articles and recorded study and participant characteristics. The ICF domain used in each study was also identified. Results: After combining information from the eight studies, we established that SSML was a feasible approach for analysis of complex data in rehabilitation research. We also determined that semi-supervised approaches may be more accurate than supervised machine learning approaches. Conclusions: A semi-supervised approach to machine learning has potential to enhance our understanding of complex data sets in rehabilitation science. SSML mirrors the iterative process of rehabilitation, making this approach ideal for calibrating devices, classifying activities or identifying just-in-time interventions. Rehabilitation scientists who are interested in conducting SSML should collaborate with data scientists to advance the application of this approach within our field. Semi-supervised machine learning applications may be a feasible approach for analyses of complex data sets in rehabilitation research. Semi-supervised machine learning approaches uses a combination of labelled and unlabelled data to produce accurate predictive models, thereby requiring less user-input data than other machine learning approaches (i.e., supervised, unsupervised), reducing resource cost and user-burden. Semi-supervised machine learning is an iterative process that, when applied to rehabilitation assessment and outcomes, could produce accurate personalized models for treatment. Rehabilitation researchers and data scientists should collaborate to implement semi-supervised machine learning approaches in rehabilitation research, optimizing the power of large datasets that are becoming more readily available within the field (e.g., EEG signals, sensors, smarthomes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of the Howz smart home system for stroke survivors. Materials: Howz uses smart home technology to monitor users' activity in the home and machine learning algorithms to detect when their activity changes. This information made available to the user and a named contact (usually a family member) via the Howz app. If activity changes, an alert is then sent to the user and the named contact. Methods: Howz was installed in the homes of 19 stroke survivors who lived alone. The sensors installed; the number and nature of alerts; adverse events; any technical difficulties and how Howz was used were recorded. We also interviewed participants and their named contacts about their views and experiences of using Howz eight weeks after installation. Results: Installation was effective; no technological problems or adverse events were reported. All participants chose alerts regarding "getting up" and activity during the day and at night. There was a mean of 1.1 (sd 1.2) alerts/person. Participants found the system unobtrusive and were positive about it. They found it easy to use and would recommend it to others with stroke. The most frequently reported benefit was that Howz gave peace of mind for the users and/or the family/named contact that help would be at hand if needed. Conclusions: The Howz system was feasible and acceptable for stroke survivors. It gave users and their family an enhanced sense of security and peace of mind that help would be at hand if needed. Although most stroke survivors are elderly and often suffer physical, visual and cognitive disabilities which are often considered as barriers to using smart home technology, this project has demonstrated the well-developed smart home technology is feasible and acceptable. Users were able and willing to engage with the technology (to varying degrees) and had no concerns about invasion of privacy. The main benefit of the Howz system is an enhanced sense of security for the user and their family that help is at hand if needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]