Convergence Accelerator Phase I(RAISE): Empowering Neurodiverse Populations for Employment through Inclusion AI and Innovation Science

融合加速器第一阶段（RAISE）：通过包容性人工智能和创新科学为神经多样化人群提供就业机会

• 批准号: 1936970
• 负责人: Nilanjan Sarkar
• 金额: $ 100万
• 依托单位: Vanderbilt University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2021-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1936970&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Convergence; Accelerator; Phase; RAISE; Empowering

The NSF Convergence Accelerator supports team-based, multidisciplinary efforts that address challenges of national importance and show potential for deliverables in the near future. The broader impact/potential benefit of this Convergence Accelerator Phase I project is to dramatically increase the engagement of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the workforce. While approximately two-thirds of 2.5 million adults with ASD in the US have average intelligence, more than 50% of them remain unemployed or underemployed. Many individuals with ASD have unique capabilities that are in high demand across many job sectors; optimizing workforce engagement for these individuals holds the potential to transform great societal cost into great societal value. This project utilizes convergent expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), virtual reality, robotics, together with expertise in neuroscience, and behavioral and organizational psychology, to develop intelligent tools and systems to facilitate employment of individuals with ASD that have high potential for rapid commercialization and deployment. Specifically, the proposed research will develop intelligent training systems for interviews and other job relevant social interaction skills for individuals with ASD, and skill assessment tools for employers to enhance recruitment and retention. The entire project is based on the foundational idea that many people with ASD have the potential to participate in the workforce in ways that contribute to society while also sustaining personal success and well-being. This Convergence Accelerator Phase I project presents a comprehensive research plan to create new AI tools, systems, and predictive models, inclusive of employer and stakeholder input, to connect people with ASD to employers via embedded, technologically based, research-informed supports for individuals and organizations alike. For people with ASD, inherent challenges related to social initiation, engagement, and communication impede their adaptive independence, including finding and keeping jobs. This issue has become a top priority of the National Institutes of Health Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. The project involves six convergent, mutually reinforcing research components: (1) a pipeline to employment for people with ASD; (2) an affect-sensitive, closed-loop virtual reality interview training platform to assess and intervene on skill deficits while also gathering aggregate data relevant to employer training; (3) opportunities for home assessment and practice outside of traditional educational settings through the use of AI-agent mediated collaborative virtual environments and (4) closed-loop interactive socially assistive robots; (5) novel computer vision and wearable computing tools for assessment of real-world generalization of skills learned within VR and robotic systems; and (6) customizable, innovative assessment tools using data-driven visual AI to identify strengths, talents, and job-relevant skills.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF融合加速器支持以团队为基础的多学科努力，以应对国家重要性的挑战，并在不久的将来展示可交付成果的潜力。 这个融合加速器第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/潜在好处是大大增加了自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者在劳动力中的参与度。虽然美国250万ASD成年人中约有三分之二的人智力平均，但其中超过50%的人仍然失业或就业不足。许多ASD患者具有独特的能力，这些能力在许多工作领域都有很高的需求;优化这些人的劳动力参与度有可能将巨大的社会成本转化为巨大的社会价值。该项目利用人工智能（AI），虚拟现实，机器人技术的融合专业知识，以及神经科学，行为和组织心理学的专业知识，开发智能工具和系统，以促进ASD患者的就业，具有快速商业化和部署的高潜力。 具体而言，拟议的研究将为ASD患者开发面试和其他与工作相关的社交技能的智能培训系统，并为雇主开发技能评估工具，以提高招聘和留住人才。整个项目基于一个基本理念，即许多ASD患者有潜力以有助于社会的方式参与劳动力，同时也维持个人的成功和福祉。这个融合加速器第一阶段项目提出了一个全面的研究计划，以创建新的人工智能工具，系统和预测模型，包括雇主和利益相关者的投入，通过嵌入式，基于技术的，研究知情的支持，为个人和组织等将ASD患者与雇主联系起来。对于ASD患者来说，与社会启动，参与和沟通相关的固有挑战阻碍了他们的适应性独立性，包括寻找和保持工作。这个问题已经成为美国国立卫生研究院自闭症协调委员会的首要任务。该项目涉及六个相互融合、相互加强的研究组成部分：（1）ASD患者的就业渠道;（2）一个对影响敏感的闭环虚拟现实面试培训平台，用于评估和干预技能缺陷，同时收集与雇主培训相关的汇总数据;（3）通过使用人工智能代理介导的协作虚拟环境，在传统教育环境之外进行家庭评估和实践的机会，以及（4）封闭的-循环交互式社会辅助机器人;（5）新的计算机视觉和可穿戴计算工具，用于评估在VR和机器人系统中学习的技能的真实世界概括;以及（6）可定制的创新评估工具，使用数据驱动的视觉AI来识别优势，人才，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Design and Validation of a Stress Detection Model for Use with a VR Based Interview Simulator for Autistic Young Adults

与基于 VR 的自闭症年轻人访谈模拟器一起使用的压力检测模型的设计和验证

• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78092-0_40
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII
• 作者: Migovich, M;Korman, A;Wade, J;Sarkar, N.
• 通讯作者: Sarkar, N.

2D and 3D Visualization of Eye Gaze Patterns in a VR-Based Job Interview Simulator: Application in Educating Employers on the Gaze Patterns of Autistic Candidates

基于 VR 的工作面试模拟器中眼睛注视模式的 2D 和 3D 可视化：在对自闭症候选人的注视模式进行雇主教育中的应用

• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78092-0_36
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (HCII
• 作者: Breen, M;McClarty, J;Langley, C;Farzidayeri, J;Trevethan, K;Swenson, B;Sarkar, M;Wade, J;Sarkar, N.
• 通讯作者: Sarkar, N.

A Social Robot for Improving Interruptions Tolerance and Employability in Adults with ASD

• DOI: 10.1109/hri53351.2022.9889383
• 发表时间: 2022-03
• 期刊: 2022 17th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)
• 作者: Rebecca Ramnauth;Emmanuel Adéníran;Timothy Adamson;Michael A. Lewkowicz;Rohit Giridharan;Caroline Reiner;B. Scassellati