We have developed a robotic arm for persons with upper-limb disabilities(RAPUDA), which can be controlled by users with various control interfaces. In order to popularize such an assistive robotic arm, RAPUDA is developed focusing on its safety and price especially. Four subjects execute peg insertion tasks with RAPUDA to verify its utility. In this paper, the experimental results of operability evaluation by target users are presented.

Axillary crutches are often used to assist injured patients. However, patients are not usually familiar with how to use the crutches properly; improper usage can cause the patients to fall, potentially leading to further injury. Therefore, in order to prevent this, it is useful to measure the initial walking motion of the patients and to visualize the trajectory of their crutches, in three-dimensions. Based on the observations and analyses, an instructional guide on walking with crutches can be produced. This will ensure that patients can learn the safe way of using crutches before actually using them. Measuring motion in three-dimensional space generally requires external sensors, such as an optical motion capturing system. These consist of several cameras, and are complex and inconvenient apparatuses to use. Hence, the authors of this paper have proposed a new, improved apparatus. This apparatus uses internal sensors, including a gyro and two pressure sensors, all embedded in an axillary crutch. Based on these sensors' measurements, the motion of the crutch can be estimated. This proposal consequently addresses the advantages of this apparatus as following:1) this apparatus does not require a large amount of space for measurement and is easy to setup;2) experimental investigations confirmed that motion capturing of crutches can be monitored and displayed at an acceptable accuracy;3) experimental observations validate the benefit of instructional guides in the improvement of walking quality and safety with crutches.

In the present study, it is intended to helpfully estimate the depth of sleep during all night with RR intervals (RBIs) in order to monitor a daily life sleep in real-time. Analysis of electrocardiogram's RBIs was used a Lorenz plot (LP). To evaluate quantitatively the changes in these distributions, RRIs are projected a LP on a y = x axis, y = -x axis, and considered as an ellipse which was composed of a long axis σ(x), a short axis σ(-x). We calculated the shifting of the mean (center C) and standard deviation (area S) for each sleep levels. Its analysis periods for 60sec were between n-60th and nth and shifted for every 1 second of data. As a result, center C showed the process toward light sleep level, area S showed the transition phase toward deep sleep level. Sum differences of Center C and area S were set each the thresholds and estimated transition phases of sleep level using the algorithm. A mean of concordance rate was 60.9% between estimated values and measured values which were actual transition of sleep levels. Therefore, the transitional sleep level can be evaluated based on heart rate variability by using LP.

The work presented here is about measurement methods of a seated posture in the seating. In the ISO16840-1 standard, which took effect in 2006, measurement rules of a seated posture are defined. In response to this, quantitative measurement of a seated posture is become major in a clinical setting. However, the field of the seated posture measurement is still in the developing stage. The purpose of this paper is to review the general description, importance, history, progress and problems to be solved in the field of the seated posture measurement. It is also the purpose of this paper that reviewing our studies to develop and evaluate the seated posture measurement tools to apply the ISO16840-1 standard in a clinical setting, which are the Seated Posture Measurement Instrument, the Seated Posture Measurement Software and the Measurement System by using the Contact Three-dimensional Measurement Device. Moreover, we described future prospects of the seated posture measurement.

The purpose of this research is to assist older persons confused in using information devices by giving appropriate guidance. First, we describe a model of cognition-action interaction in using information devices. Second, we report an experiment that investigated the relationship between behavior of users and their confused states. We found that the task completion times and vertical and horizontal scanpath lengths were found to be related to confused state. Third, we suggest a recognition method of the confused state. At last we report an experiment that investigated the effect of the recognition method and the classified confused state.

This paper discusses the risks drivers encounter when parking their vehicles while using rear view camera systems. Rear view camera systems provide drivers with video imagery from the rear view perspective of their own vehicles. However, such systems do not provide full 180° views of the areas behind vehicles, which results in blind spots that the drivers must inspect directly. Yet some drivers may become too reliant on their rear view camera systems and neglect to make visual checks of such blind spots while parking. Such over-reliance increases the risk of collision with unobserved obstacles (e.g., bicycles or pedestrians) in the parking area. This paper reports on the results of an experiment conducted to investigate the effects of rear view camera system usage on driver attention allocation during parking maneuvers. The results showed that it was easier for drivers to park their vehicles at their desired position when a rear view camera system was available than when it was unavailable, but that drivers tended to pay less attention to blind spots when using the system. This reduction of driver attention to blind spots was particularly significant during the final parking phase.

The pixels in the conventional image systems are located in lattice places, and the lattice placement of pixels causes the jaggy in the image, which often cause the severe defect in the image quality. The conventional approaches to overcome this jaggy problem are such as the increased number of pixels or anti-aliasing. However, the step in jaggy is strongly perceived by the eye, and the number of pixels is limited by the physical size of pixel circuit, and the anti-aliasing intrinsically causes the blurred image and the effect of jaggy elimination is dependent on the angle of the object in image. The authors have been proposing and evaluating the image systems with pixels whose positions of the active area, effective area composing images, such as photo receptors or display element, are pseudorandomly placed in order to decrease the effect of the jaggy. In this paper, we describe the experiments of subjective evaluation for jaggy in both lattice and pseudorandom pixel placement.