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The rise of real-time information communication through smartphones and wireless networks enabled the growth of ridesharing services. While personal rideshare services (individuals riding alone or with acquaintances) initially dominated the market, the popularity of pooled ridesharing (individuals sharing rides with people they do not know) has grown globally. However, pooled ridesharing remains less common in the U.S., where personal vehicle usage is still the norm. Vehicle design and rideshare services may need to be tailored to user preferences to increase pooled rideshare adoption. Based on a large, national U.S. survey (N = 5385), the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested that four key factors influence riders’ willingness to consider pooled ridesharing: comfort/ease of use, convenience, vehicle technology/accessibility, and passenger safety. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to determine how the four factors influence one’s willingness to consider pooled ridesharing. The two factors that positively influence riders’ willingness to consider pooled ridesharing are vehicle technology/accessibility (B = 1.10) and convenience (B = 0.94), while lack of passenger safety (B = −0.63) and comfort/ease of use (B = −0.17) are pooled ridesharing deterrents. Understanding user-centered design and service factors are critical to increase the use of pooled ridesharing services in the future.

There has been increased development of assistive robots for the home, along with empirical studies assessing cultural differences on user perception. However, little attention has been paid to cultural differences with respect to non- humanoid, multi-robot interactions in homes or otherwise. In this exploratory paper, we investigate how cultural differences may impact users’ preferences and perceived usefulness of a multi-robot system by creating an interactive online survey and considering variables often absent in HRI studies. We introduce our multi-robot design and survey construction, and report results evaluated across 191 young adult participants from China, India, and the USA. We find significant effects of culture on both participants’ preferences and perceived usefulness of the system between India and China or the USA, but not between China and the USA. We also find effects of culture on perceived usefulness to be partially mediated by participant preferences. Our findings reinforce the importance of considering cultural differences in designing domestic multi-robotic assistants.

The literature of communication theory suggests that people tend to interact with interactive artifacts as if these were human. For decades, this understanding has been applied to designing computer embedded devices at small physical scale (i.e. objects). In this paper, the authors extend this same understanding to the dimension of space—to designing intelligent, physical environments. The conceptual ground for this design intention is found in a “pattern language” developed by Alexander, et al. for designing static physical environments based on the “‘best guesses” of architects. Upon this foundation of a pattern language, the authors offer a design framework based on our novel concept of “space agency” whereby observed human-human interaction is translated into human-machine Interaction for spatial artifacts by way of two mapping techniques. Our intention is to strive for more human-human-like interactions between human beings and intelligent spaces whereby intelligent spaces become friendly, helpful, and welcoming. In this paper, the design of an interior space within a fully autonomous vehicle provides a case study. The framework presented here has significance for designing intelligent artifacts and interactions with them as these extend, inevitably, to the dimension of space, entertaining, serving, and augmenting our increasingly digital and human-centered society.

We introduce a pair of domestic, robotic furnishings aimed at improving the ability of people to live and work independently. The robotic pair--a mobile, robot-cube and a continuum-robotic lamp-- work together with their human cohabitants to perform routine tasks of daily living enumerated in the 'CS-PFP10' protocol used by rehabilitation therapists to evaluate the capacity for independent living. The iterative design and basic behaviors of the robot pair are considered in this paper, as are results from a formative user evaluation involving older adults and a second study involving twelve clinical staff from a rehabilitation hospital. Finally, we offer recommendations that generalize to related efforts. As robots will inevitably become part of domestic routines, reporting on this robot pair serves as a design exemplar for future development of domestic robots that enable and dignify older individuals.

Objective: This study seeks to determine where patients in a rehabilitation hospital keep the greatest percentage of their belongings, that is, in/on the nightstand or on the over-the-bed table. Background: This study provides an inventory of patient items located on the over-the-bed table and in/on the nightstand. Understanding the functions of furnishings within the patient room is key for future preparation for designing a next-generation over-the-bed table or for redesigning a more useful nightstand. Methods: The contents on the top of the nightstand; the contents in the top, middle, and bottom drawers of the nightstand; items next to the nightstand; and the contents on the over-the-bed table within patient rooms were inventoried and placed into categories using similar, patient item categories as the Brooks et al. (2011) study, which examined the contents of the nightstand and the over-the-bed table in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Results: Overall, patients in a rehabilitation hospital had a greater percentage of their belongings on the top of the nightstand as compared to their belongings located in all three combined drawers of the nightstand. Overall, patients had a greater percentage of their belongings located on the over-the-bed table as compared to their belongings located on the nightstand. Conclusions: Tabletop surface area was used extensively in patient rooms at a rehabilitation hospital, but nightstand drawers were underutilized.

Objective: This article presents the results of an exploratory study in which 14 healthcare subject matter experts (H-SMEs) in addition to four research and design subject matter experts (RD-SMEs) at a regional rehabilitation hospital engaged in a series of complementary, participatory activities in order to design an assistive robotic table (ART). Background: As designers, human factor experts, and healthcare professionals continue to work to integrate assistive human–robot technologies in healthcare, it is imperative to understand how the technology affects patient care from clinicians’ perspectives. Method: Fourteen clinical H-SMEs rated a subset of conceptual ART design ideas; participated in the iterative design process of ART; and evaluated a final cardboard prototype, the rehabilitation hospital’s current over-the-bed table (OBT), an ART built with true materials, and two therapy surface prototypes. Four RD-SMEs conducted a heuristic evaluation on the ART built with true materials. Data were analyzed by frequency and content analysis. Results: The results include a design and prototype for the next generation ART and a pneumatically controlled therapy surface, a broadened list of specifications for the future design and implementation of assistive robotic furniture, and final observations. Conclusion: When compared to the rehabilitation hospital’s current OBT, the developed ART in this study was successful. Designing novel features is dependent upon ensuring patient safety. The inclusion of clinicians in the participatory iterative design and evaluation process and the use of personas provided a broadened list of specifications for the successful implementation of assistive robotic furniture.

The VISION COACH™ interactive light board is designed to test and enhance participants' psychomotor skills. The primary goal of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the Full Field 120 VISION COACH task. One hundred eleven male and 131 female adult participants completed six trials where they responded to 120 randomly distributed lights displayed on the VISION COACH interactive light board. The mean time required for a participant to complete a trial was 101 seconds. Intraclass correlation coefficients, ranging from 0.962 to 0.987 suggest the VISION COACH Full Field 120 task was a reliable task. Cohen's d's of adjacent pairs of trials suggest learning effects did not negatively affect reliability after the third trial.

Recognition of human gestures is an active area of research integral for the development of intuitive human-machine interfaces for ubiquitous computing and assistive robotics. In particular, such systems are key to effective environmental designs that facilitate aging in place. Typically, gesture recognition takes the form of template matching in which the human participant is expected to emulate a choreographed motion as prescribed by the researchers. A corresponding robotic action is then a one-to-one mapping of the template classification to a library of distinct responses. In this paper, we explore a recognition scheme based on the growing neural gas (GNG) algorithm that places no initial constraints on the user to perform gestures in a specific way. Motion descriptors extracted from sequential skeletal depth data are clustered by GNG and mapped directly to a robotic response that is refined through reinforcement learning. A simple good/bad reward signal is provided by the user. This paper presents results that show that the topology-preserving quality of GNG allows generalization between gestured commands. Experimental results using an automated reward are presented that compare learning results involving single nodes versus results involving the influence of node neighborhoods. Although separability of input data influences the speed of learning convergence for a given neighborhood radius, it is shown that learning progresses toward emulation of an associative memory that maps input gesture to desired action.

OBJECTIVE: This article presents the results of an exploratory study in which 14 clinical and staff subject matter experts (SMEs) at a regional rehabilitation hospital were interviewed in order to understand how and why over-the-bed tables are used. BACKGROUND: It is important to understand how and why a device or environment is used when designing it, and not just what features and functions are preferred. This knowledge is valuable both for contextualizing user feature and function preferences and for characterizing and prioritizing design challenges and opportunities. METHODS: Fourteen hospital clinical and support staff subject-matter experts participated in semi-structured interviews with scenario enactments in a medium-fidelity, full-scale mock-up of a typical patient room. During these interviews, they interacted with two personas played by actors and were asked to enact an example of a normal visit, from entering the room through treatment/service and then exiting. Data were analyzed via methodological triangulation including frequency analysis, content analysis, and affinity diagramming. RESULTS: The results include a use-case analysis with illustrative sketches, a list of needs statements, and final observations. CONCLUSIONS: Successfully using the over-the-bed table is dependent upon proper positioning, especially in bed during meals. There are fewer problems associated with over-the-bed table use while seated in a chair than when in the bed. The over-the-bed table is a key component in acute care, inpatient therapies. Clinicians are generally open to “smart” furniture in the patient room but question its cost-effectiveness, robustness, and flexibility.

To investigate the use and potential for patient acceptance of the DrivingHealth(®) Inventory (DHI) in clinical practice, we administered the DHI to 360 community dwelling volunteers over age 50 at a Southeastern US rehabilitation hospital. Volunteers also completed surveys to document their health, driving habits, and impressions of the DHI. Volunteers reported strong agreement with statements that indicated that they believe the DHI measures abilities important for safe driving and that they would be willing to listen to advice about driving and safe mobility from medical professionals; however, responses to some items were more positive among drivers whose DHI results indicated no apparent loss of function that could impair driving. These results support the use of the DHI in clinical practice as a tool to raise awareness of factors that correlate to driving; however, further research will be necessary to investigate how the DHI may benefit diverse clinical populations. Experiences with using DHI as part of clinical practice are also discussed.

Driving as a means of community mobility is an activity highly valued by individuals. When a medical condition impacts a person's ability to drive, occupational therapy practitioners should address this instrumental task of daily living with the client in order for the client to know if and when return to driving might be possible. This case review illustrates how the task of driving motivated a neurologically impaired client in therapy as well as how driving evaluation and driving rehabilitation intervention should not be done in isolation, but with the communication that will optimally assist the client to return to functional performance.

Accessible summary There were many driving education studies with adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) in the 1960s and 1970s, but since, very little research has been carried out. This study explored using an interactive driving simulator for teaching adults with intellectual disabilities to learn pre-driving skills (lane keeping and speed maintenance). The simulator succeeded in rapid identification of the drivers' capabilities and limitations, providing skill practise that would be unsafe on roadways, creating a fun, effective and flexible learning environment and highlighting the most appropriate areas for future research. Summary Research examining driver training for young adults with intellectual disabilities has been limited since the 1970s. The current pilot and exploratory study investigated teaching pre-driving skills (i.e. lane keeping and speed maintenance) to young adults with intellectual disabilities using an interactive driving simulator to provide dynamic and immediate feedback to participants as well as quantifiable data to researchers and educators. Four students from a post-secondary transition course for students with intellectual disabilities (age 21–23) with an average full-scale IQ of 71.5 (range 64–76) participated. Participants practised their pre-driving skills (lane keeping and speed maintenance rather than complex driving environments) on a series of driving courses as well as a coordinated muscle movement activity related to driving for 1 h a day, 5 days a week. After 27 days, two of the four participants significantly improved their lane keeping and speed maintenance skills, while two participants failed to demonstrate steady improvement.

Recent military operations have involved repeated trauma exposure while driving vehicles. Combat deployment and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been associated with risky driving practices, increasing the likelihood of fatalities and problems adjusting to civilian life. However, no studies have specifically examined the role of driving-related anxiety, including common cues and mental health correlates. This study conducted structured interviews with 46 recently deployed service members. Interviews assessed the prevalence of driving-related anxiety or hyperarousal (anger or irritation) in relation to civilian driving scenarios, combat exposure, post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression symptoms, and help-seeking behavior. The majority of participants reported high driving anxiety or hyperarousal in response to scenarios involving close proximity to other cars. Driving-related anxiety was positively correlated with PTSD and depression. Although PTSD and driving anxiety were positively associated with help seeking, only one-third of soldiers sought help for driving anxiety and most sought help from informal sources (i.e., friend and battle buddy). The findings underscore the need to address driving-related anxiety in combat-exposed service members with mental health symptoms, with a particular focus on specific anxiety-provoking situations. Furthermore, interventions that reduce stigma and improve access to formal care could improve help seeking and treatment for these problems.

Multimodal forms of human-robot interaction (HRI) including non-verbal forms promise easily adopted and intuitive use models for assistive devices. The research described in this paper targets an assistive robotic appliance which learns a user’s gestures for activities performed in a healthcare or aging in place setting. The proposed approach uses the Growing Neural Gas (GNG) algorithm in combination with the Q-Learning paradigm of reinforcement learning to shape robotic motions over time. Neighborhoods of nodes in the GNG network are combined to collectively leverage past learning by the group. Connections between nodes are assigned weights based on frequency of use which can be viewed as measures of electrical resistance. In this way, the GNG network may be traversed based on distances computed in the same manner as resistance in an electrical circuit. It is shown that this distance metric provides faster convergence of the algorithm when compared to shortest path neighborhood learning.

Particularly in the health and rehabilitation sector where cost and space are constraints, clinicians need smaller driving simulators. Because of the limited projected field of view (PFOV) afforded by these displays, it was desirable to extend the virtual or geometric field of view (GFOV) beyond that natively afforded by the PFOV. In Study 1, user feedback was gathered from our target user population on two display configurations: (1) a single large LCD; and (2) three smaller LCD screens. Participants were also exposed to four GFOV settings (65°, 80°, 95°, 110°) using either display. The majority of participants preferred and were most comfortable with the three-screen configuration with the highest GFOV setting tested (110°). In order for driving simulation to produce realistic experiences, drivers’ perception of speed should correspond with real world experiences. However, changing the PFOV/GFOV ratio has been shown to alter perceived speed. Therefore, the purpose of Study 2 was to better understand the relationship between speed perception and the GFOV/PFOV ratio in a way that would be useful to simulation practitioners using a small-footprint driving simulator. Using the DriveSafety CDS-250, participants performed a speed matching task using six different GFOV conditions while the PFOV was held constant. Target speeds were presented in three appropriate simulated environments: 25 mph in a residential area, 45 mph in a commercial area, and 65 mph on a freeway. In general, perceived speed was found to decrease with larger GFOVs. However, no GFOV tested produced accurate speed perception; on average, all participants underestimated their speeds using all GFOVs.

The aging population is increasing in the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia. By 2030, the number of people in the United States aged 65 and older will be nearly double that of the year 2000 (U.S. Census, 2000). According to Coughlin (1999), one of the most important requirements of this century will be for society to respond to the needs and preferences of the increasing number of older adults. Because assisted living may not be a viable option for many older adults in the future, the home may become the primary environment in which older adults will need assistance (Forlizzi, DiSalvo & Gemperle, 2004).Recently, to meet this demand there has been a surge in "smart'" technologies focusing on elder care development, including devices that can monitor and enhance living situations (Coughlin, D'Ambrosio, Reimer, & Pratt, 2007). The current study sought to determine the characteristics desired for three different novel nightstand designs from a variety of user groups in anticipation of incorporating new technologies into nightstand designs. Participants included community-dwelling older adults, university students, employees at a rehabilitation facility, and patients at the same rehabilitation facility.As individuals age or experience injuries that cause them to face life with reduced mobility, even mundane daily tasks frequently require intervention from others. This need for personal assistance is often a reason for a functionally compromised individual to move into an institutional care setting. One way to help reduce the necessity of this move may be by adopting technological capabilities in one's home, such as a novel nightstand. Failure to adopt technology in both independent living settings and institutional elder-care facilities might be associated with the cost of new technologies. Also, assistive technologies may not be utilized because an individual does not want to admit to being weak or needing help (Hirsch et al., 2003). For these reasons, the current research is useful because it examines what a range of potential users including older adults, patients, employees, and family members (represented in this study by university students) may want and need. Differences in user wants and needs may point to unique characteristics that designers should consider.The current study was preceded by a series of studies examining novel nightstands. First, the authors' lab inventoried nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities to determine the items that residents (N = 28) kept on and in their nightstands (Brooks et al., 2011). The major finding was that users keep the majority of their belongings on top of the nightstand, rather than in the nightstand. The limited mobility of patients as well as the inclined seating position common in hospital beds helps explain the storage of items on top of the nightstand rather than in drawers and the frequent use of the over-the-bed table. Keeping items on top of the nightstand keeps them within reach, and the over-the-bed table may be preferred because of its ability to move into a more convenient position than the nightstands, which are typically immobile.Information gathered from the inventory was then used to guide the design of an automated nightstand prototype. To incorporate what seemed to be the most beneficial feature of the over-the-bed table, a pull-out tray was added to the design of the novel nightstand. Computer two-dimensional (2-D) images of the nightstand were developed and shared with focus groups consisting of 36 community-dwelling seniors as well as 36 university students, all of whom provided feedback on the prototype nightstand (Smolentzov et al., 2009). Focus group results confirmed that potential users were receptive to the idea of novel furniture designs; however, using the 2-D images proved to be ineffective because the complexity and dynamic movements of the prototypes could not be fully conveyed.In preparation for the third study, interactive computer models were created using Google SketchUp. …

Introduction Research has shown that both pedestrians and drivers drastically overestimate pedestrians' nighttime visibility (NHSTSA, 2008a, 2008b; Owens & Sivak, 1996) and fail to appreciate the safety benefits of proven conspicuity aids. One solution is educational intervention (Tyrrell, Patton, & Brooks, 2004); however, the on-road assessment of its effectiveness is expensive and time consuming. Method Experiment One introduces a computer-based alternative to the field-based approach, successfully replicating the previous study's trends among 94 students who either receive or do not receive an educational lecture. Experiment Two utilizes the simulation's portability to determine if professional roadway workers have a more accurate understanding of pedestrian conspicuity than students. Results: Results among 88 workers show they do not significantly appreciate the advantages of effective retroflective material configurations or vehicle headlamp settings, for example, any better than non-lectured students in Experiment One. Impact: The study's results demonstrate the need for education among all pedestrians and the benefits of efficient testing methods.

The use of driving simulators is increasing in clinical settings that provide driving evaluation and rehabilitation. To identify the driving simulator scenarios desired by certified driver rehabilitation specialists (CDRSs), we developed a questionnaire consisting of 22 driving scenario situations. A total of 164 CDRSs rated each situation in terms of its importance for inclusion in simulator-based driving. The four situations they identified as most critical were turning left across oncoming traffic, navigating four-way intersections with traffic lights or signs, driving in multiple lanes with traffic on both sides, and reacting to unexpected events that require emergency braking or aggressive maneuvers to prevent an accident. We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to group the 22 driving scenario situations. The model with the best fit included 11 situations forming three factors: (1) Intersections, (2) Roadway and Traffic Conditions, and (3) Environmental Conditions. Future studies should include these factors in driving simulator scenarios and evaluate their clinical efficacy in driving evaluation and rehabilitation.

Interactive driving simulators may offer a safe and controlled environment for occupational therapists to treat clients with conditions that affect their ability to drive safely. The use of simulators has been mostly limited to research settings. To make appropriate use of this technology, identifying and understanding the needs of clients and medical personnel that simulators can fulfill is important. The current investigation seeks to identify the attitudes of potential clients and physicians regarding the use of driving simulators. Using survey and interview methodology, clients' and physicians' needs in regard to driving and community mobility are investigated in the context of identifying potential applications for simulator technology. In addition, general needs and attitudes about driving in the context of medical practice were identified. Attitudes toward the use of simulators were generally positive, and the desire for a greater ability to understand and treat clients in the context of driving appears strong.

Physicians have the potential to serve as an important portal for information gathering, assessment, counseling, and reporting older driver fitness, as almost all older adults require medical care and have a primary care physician. However, there are few studies that have evaluated physician knowledge about, attitudes toward, and performance of older driver fitness assessment. Two pilot studies were conducted to assess physician knowledge and attitudes and aid understanding of physician knowledge of legal reporting requirements regarding older driver medical fitness. Results suggest that although physicians believe that patients should be evaluated for safe driving, many physicians do not routinely assess fitness to drive and few feel qualified to do so. It also appears that physicians may not be adequately knowledgeable about laws about reporting unsafe drivers. Thus, occupational therapy practitioners have an opportunity to educate about driving as a complex instrumental activity of daily living.

Driving in fog is a potentially dangerous activity that has been investigated in a number of different ways; however, most have focused on identifying the underlying perceptual changes that result in an inability to perceive speed of vehicle motion. Although the previous research has identified the perceptual changes associated with driving in fog and shows that people are highly likely to perceive their speed to be higher than it actually is, these research studies have not investigated driving behavior when drivers are allowed to maintain speed as they feel appropriate and make use of the vehicle's speedometer. In addition, much of the existing research focuses on speed perception and presents a limited view of other driving performance metrics in terms of lane keeping and event detection. The current study addresses these issues utilizing a driving simulator-based method where fog is simulated as a distance dependent contrast reduction while having participants drive at speeds they feel are appropriate. A number of different instructions and speed feedback mechanisms were tested in order to determine how drivers react when driving in varying levels of fog. Results also include lane keeping measures in order to assess whether drivers are willing to drive at speeds where their lane keeping performance is degraded due to the reduced visibility. Results indicate that, in general, drivers do not tend to slow down significantly until visibility distance is drastically reduced by fog; however, lane keeping ability is maintained throughout most of the range of visibility distances. Lane keeping ability was reduced only when fog results in visibility distances

Objective: Two studies were conducted to obtain an understanding of the types of items seniors keep in their nightstands and to understand how users feel about the possibility of “smart” furniture. Background: To enable aging in place and universal design, it is vital to understand the needs of a broad range of aging individuals, especially since there is little research on nightstand usage and design. Methods: Study 1 allowed for the development of a structured inventory of nightstand use today in assisted living and rehabilitation facilities. Study 1 led to Study 2, demonstrating the need to conceptualize new ideas for smart nightstands. Feedback was obtained from intergenerational participants who could discuss their needs and preferences for a smart nightstand. Results: In Study 1, more than 150 items were recorded and categorized into 25 different groups. The authors found that participants utilized the top portion of their nightstand as opposed to the lower sections; most items were found on top of the nightstand or in the top drawer. In Study 2, the authors found that the vast majority of participants are willing to consider the use of a smart nightstand. Participants discussed key functions and design preferences, which included carefully designed storage, the ability to move the nightstand up and down, contemporary design, and interaction through voice activation. Conclusion: Existing nightstands do not meet the needs of current users. This research provides greater understanding of the existing limitations associated with nightstands. Study 2 confirmed that user-centered design and the use of technology can be used to enhance daily living. Smart furniture may play a role in promoting the health and independence of diverse user groups.

Systematic approaches for presenting medical information to seniors have not been widely explored and published. Prior to incorporating a mobility and physical functioning measure into clinical practice, meaningful and understandable reporting formats were needed for patients. It was important for seniors with varying educational and cognitive levels to understand the information. Testing was conducted in three phases with 28 participants in the final phase. Volunteers included seniors with a broad range of physical functioning. Focus groups and interviews evaluated prototype reports using several presentation styles, graph orientations, and levels of detail/abstraction. Ease of incorporation into both paper and electronic medical records was also considered. The final product reflects the preferences of the older participants as well as design constraints and consideration for how the reports would be presented in paper and electronic format. To maximize health literacy, all medical reports would benefit from user-centered design.

A new driving simulator task was developed with the long-term goal of aiding rehabilitation specialists who work with drivers who may have functional impairments. This simulated driving task was designed to measure a driver's ability to respond to two types of visual stimuli - brake lights of a lead vehicle and targets presented at different eccentricities along the horizon. Three driving scenarios were developed for the study. The first two were used to examine the effect of A-pillar occlusion on the target detection task. The target locations used in the third scenario were chosen to examine the effect of eccentricity on target reaction time when the participant was required to make head movements to locate and respond to targets. This third scenario revealed age-related differences in the capability to locate and respond to visual stimuli in the periphery of the driving environment. This may be due to the decrements in psychomotor ability observed in older adults. This scenario is expected to have utility in clinical settings.

While driving simulators are a valuable tool for assessing multiple dimensions of driving performance under relatively safe conditions, researchers and practitioners must be prepared for participants that suffer from simulator sickness. This paper describes multiple theories of motion sickness and presents a method for assessing and reacting to simulator sickness symptoms. Results showed that this method identified individuals who were unable to complete a driving simulator study due to simulator sickness with greater than 90% accuracy and that older participants had a greater likelihood of simulator sickness than younger participants. Possible explanations for increased symptoms experienced by older participants are discussed as well as implications for research ethics and simulator sickness prevention.

Vertebral height ratios are used to define vertebral deformity in clinical and epidemiologic studies of vertebral osteoporosis. However, few data have been obtained on the variation in these ratios in different populations using standard methods. We examined vertebral morphometric measurements obtained in a population survey from three centers: Malmo (Sweden), Montceau-les-Mines (France), and Graz (Austria), to study the influence of sex and the population center on vertebral height ratios. Radiographs were obtained according to a standardized protocol, and morphometric measurements, anterior height Ha, central height Hc, and posterior height Hp, made in Berlin. The height ratios anterior, Ha/Hp, central, Hc/Hp, posterior I, Hp/Hp', and posterior II, Hp/Hp" (Hp' = posterior height of vertebrae above, Hp" = posterior height of vertebrae below) were calculated for each vertebra from T4 to L4. The mean and standard deviation of these ratios for each sex and each center were derived using a statistical trimming procedure to normalize the distribution. Threshold values for defining grade 1 and grade 2 deformities, wedge, biconcavity, and compression, were calculated using these parameters. Anterior and central vertebral height ratios were smaller in males than females (p < 0.01). There were significant differences between the three centers (p < 0.01) both in the trimmed mean values for anterior and central vertebral height ratios and in the thresholds derived using standard criteria for defining wedge and biconcavity deformity. The data confirm the impression from single-center studies that vertebral height ratios vary between populations and suggest that reference values for vertebral height ratios should be derived separately for males and females within individual populations whenever possible.

One aspect of electronic map displays that has been under examination since their invention is the effect of map configuration, i.e., rotating, track-up vs. fixed, north-up maps, on different navigational tasks. Research has shown that people perform some navigation tasks better with track-up maps, and other navigation tasks better with north-up maps. In the current experiment ( N = 16), we investigated how the performance of three common navigation tasks performed as part of an aerial reconnaissance simulation (i.e., cardinal direction judgments, route following and map memory) were affected by an interface factor, map configuration (track-up vs. north-up), and by an individual differences factor, differences in spatial ability. The cardinal direction judgment and route following tasks showed improved accuracy with the track-up map configuration; whereas the map reconstruction task was better facilitated by the north-up map configuration. Spatial abilities were also associated with differences in performance on the three navigation tasks. Spatial abilities and the map-configuration manipulation showed similar strength of association with navigation performance (similar effect size).

Seven head and neck cancer patients participated in a driving evaluation in a driving simulator. Radiation dose on the temporal lobes was moderately associated with time to complete a cognitive test and with driving performance. Results indicated that incidental irradiation may contribute to a decrease in cognition and in unsafe driving performance, which seems to be time-dependent.

An analysis of the effect of wireless telephone communication using text and voice modalities as well as an Apple iPod on lane keeping, speed, speed variability, lateral speed, and lane position variability was conducted with a driving simulator. Participants (young adult licensed drivers) drove in an unusually curvy simulated driving environment while using wireless devices, controlling an iPod, and participating in conversations and word games. As expected on the basis of previous research, lane-keeping performance was robust for voice communication tasks; however, the text messaging and iPod tasks that required significant manual manipulation of the device resulted in significant decrements in lane-keeping performance. In addition, all wireless communication tasks and the iPod task resulted in significant increases in speed variability throughout the driving scenario. Lateral speed increases occurred for all wireless communication tasks other than the cellular phone conversation as well as the iPod task. Increases in lane position variability were observed for the text messaging conditions. In addition to establishing the dramatic performance decrement caused by text messaging tasks, this experiment suggests that driving performance may be affected by distraction in ways not captured by lane-keeping measures alone and explores potential alternative measures of driving performance that may be useful for identifying and quantifying the effects of distracted driving.

Exploring how biological motion can make pedestrians more conspicuous to drivers at night, one-hundred-and-twenty participants were driven along an open-road route at night and pressed a button whenever they recognized that a pedestrian was present. A test pedestrian wearing black clothing alone or with 302 cm2 of retroreflective markings in one of four configurations either stood still or walked in place on an unilluminated sidewalk. Participants' response distances were maximal for the full biological-motion configuration and remained surprisingly long when convenient subsets of reflective markers were positioned on the pedestrian's ankles and wrists. When the pedestrian wore a reflective vest, the responses were no better than when he wore no reflective markings. The biological-motion advantage actually results from interacting form-perception and motion-perception mechanisms. These results confirm that basic perceptual phenomena—observers' sensitivity to human form and motion—can be harnessed to reduce an important problem of traffic safety.

In response to a federal mandate, all new light passenger vehicles in the United States will soon be required to include tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMSs) that alert drivers when one or more tires become 25% or more underinflated relative to the pressure level recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Although the goal of TPMSs is to reduce the population of underinflated tires, their ultimate effect on tire pressure in consumer vehicles is unknown. Tire pressure and survey data were collected from approximately 1,200 vehicles that had just entered a rest area from an Interstate highway. Comparisons between vehicles with and without a TPMS were made from 864 vehicles in the full sample and from a subset of 123 target vehicles. The presence of TPMSs was generally associated with a small (0.7 to 1.5 psi) but significant decrease in the severity of tire underinflation. In addition, vehicles equipped with TPMSs were significantly less likely to have at least one tire that was 25% or more underinflated. The effect of TPMSs on tire pressure might have been larger had the systems been designed to activate at a less severe underinflation level. Less than 2% of survey respondents believed that TPMSs should have a trigger threshold as extreme as the currently mandated 25% threshold. Surveys also revealed that drivers without a TPMS do not report large differences in their tire maintenance behaviors relative to drivers with a TPMS and that more than 25% of drivers of vehicles with a TPMS are unaware that their vehicle is so equipped.

OBJECTIVE: This article presents the results of a qualitative study that confirmed, classified, and prioritized user needs for the design of a more useful, usable, and actively assistive over-the-bed table. BACKGROUND: Manganelli et al. (2014) generated a list of 74 needs for use in developing an actively assistive over-the-bed table. This present study assesses the value and importance of those needs. METHODS: Fourteen healthcare subject matter experts and eight research and design subject matter experts engaged in a participatory and iterative research and design process. A mixed methods qualitative approach used methodological triangulation to confirm the value of the findings and ratings to establish importance. Open and closed card sorts and a Delphi study were used. Data analysis methods included frequency analysis, content analysis, and a modified Kano analysis. RESULTS: A table demonstrating the needs that are of high importance to both groups of subject matter experts and classification of the design challenges each represents was produced. Through this process, the list of 74 needs was refined to the 37 most important need statements for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Designing a more useful, usable, and actively assistive over-the-bed table is primarily about the ability to position it optimally with respect to the user for any task, as well as improving ease of use and usability. It is also important to make explicit and discuss the differences in priorities and perspectives demonstrated between research and design teams and their clients.

Drivers routinely overdrive their headlights at night. The selective degradation hypothesis predicts that drivers' overconfidence is a consequence of their ability to steer being preserved even though their ability to see details is impaired. This study investigated the extent to which drivers (18 to 78 years) understand that their ability to steer is preserved in low luminances. Participants estimated their ability to steer before driving a curvy, simulated roadway. Steering performance (but not acuity) was largely intact even in extremely low luminances. Particularly at lower luminances, however, drivers steered better than they had predicted. In the dimmest condition, participants drove outside their lane only 25% as often as they had predicted. These findings support the selective degradation hypothesis, help explain drivers' overconfidence at night, and reflect the fact that drivers do not understand that the ability to see details and the ability to steer are supported by separate neural mechanisms.

How much insight do individuals have into their own visual abilities? This study investigated the extent to which individuals from 18 to 78 years old can accurately predict their own acuity under a broad range of luminances. New psychophysically based methods were developed to facilitate direct comparisons between individuals' estimates of their own visual acuity and their actual acuity. While all age groups appreciate that reductions in luminance have negative consequences on acuity, both younger and middle-age adults underestimated their ability to see in dim conditions. Older adults, however, overestimated their ability to see. These results fail to support the hypothesis that seniors would be the most aware of their limited visual abilities at night. Future research should explore why some seniors are comfortable driving at night while others are not.

This article reports on two studies that explored the effects of severe visual challenges on steering performance in visually healthy young drivers. The experiments explored the extent to which induced blur, educed luminance, and reduced visual fields affect drivers' steering performance in a driving simulator. In the first experiment, 10 young drivers (median age 21.2 years) drove at approximately 89 km/h (55 mph) along a curvy roadway while being exposed to blur, luminance, and visual field manipulations. In the second experiment, a different group of 10 young drivers (median age 18.5 years) drove while exposed to 7 visual field sizes (1.7 to 150 degrees). Steering was shown to be sensitive to a reduced field size but not to the blur and luminance challenges. Acuity, on the other hand, was sensitive to the blur and luminance challenges but not to reduced field size. The authors conclude that in healthy young drivers, steering performance is remarkably robust to severe blur and to extremely low luminances. Thus steering performance is preserved at night even when the ability to recognize objects and hazards is not. The authors call for additional research to investigate the other hypothesis hinted at by these studies: that drivers fail to understand the extent to which their visual abilities are degraded at night.

This study focused on how teams allocated attention between a driving-related spatial task and a verbal task, and how different kinds of verbal interactions affected performance of the driving-related task. In Experiment 1, 29 two-person teams performed an interactive verbal task while one team member also performed a simulated driving task. Of the team members performing only the verbal task, half could see their partner's spatial situation, as a car passenger can (in-person condition), and half were remotely located, similar to someone speaking to a driver using a cell-phone. Teams interacted verbally at an overall slower rate during remote than in-person interactions, suggesting that remote verbal interactions are more difficult than in-person interactions. Verbal interactions degraded situation awareness for driving-related information while performing the spatial task; and this degradation was not greater during remote than in-person interactions. Experiment 2 used a faster-paced verbal task and found greater degradation of situation awareness due to the verbal task. These findings are potentially relevant to the issue of how passenger and cell-phone conversations affect driving performance.