Development and evaluation of innovative applications for wide-band haptics on HOP-Child's support platform for children with autism spectrum disorders

本项目探讨了高性能振动触觉致动器在自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童及其照顾者支持平台中的附加价值。HOP-Child开发的专有数字孪生平台将屏幕上的虚拟人物与带有生理传感器和多模态输出的智能手表联系在一起，目前使用窄带振动触觉执行器来产生不同目的的触觉反馈，例如将孩子的注意力引导到虚拟人物上。该项目的目标是探索和评估宽带振动触觉致动器在HOP-Child支持平台上现有和新使用的触觉反馈的好处。我们将开发一个实验平台，能够在手腕上使用窄带和宽带振动触觉促动器（例如，线性谐振促动器和压电促动器）产生振动，并在计算机显示器或平板电脑上进行视觉反馈。同时，我们将利用文献回顾和构思活动来开发广泛的应用概念，其中宽带振动可能是有益的。这一概念性的努力将扩展平台上触觉反馈的当前用途，例如注意力管理，以及已经确定的新的高潜力用途，例如情感交流和生物信号的自我意识。我们将使用设计漏斗方法来选择最有前途的概念进行实现，并迭代地缩小我们的关注范围，并将应用程序概念从纸质模型细化到高保真原型。最有希望的概念将通过定量和定性研究来实施和实验评估，这些研究人员对自闭症儿童有深入的了解，包括HOP-Child的利益相关者和外部职业治疗师。该项目将为下一代HOP-Child可穿戴硬件的设计提供信息，并可能导致在平台上集成创新的触觉驱动功能。

This project investigates the added value of high-performance vibrotactile actuators in a support platform for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their caregivers. The proprietary digital twin platform developed by HOP-Child ties an onscreen avatar to a smartwatch with physiological sensors and multimodal output, and currently uses narrow-band vibrotactile actuators to produce haptic feedback for different purposes, such as to direct the child's attention to the avatar. The goal of the project is to explore and evaluate the benefits of wide-band vibrotactile actuators for existing and novel uses of haptic feedback on HOP-Child's support platform. We will develop an experimental platform capable of producing vibrations with narrow-band and wide-band vibrotactile actuators (e.g., linear resonant actuators and piezoelectric actuators) on the wrist, along with visual feedback on a computer monitor or tablet. In parallel, we will use a review of the literature and ideation activities to develop a wide range of application concepts in which wide-band vibrations are likely to be beneficial. This conceptual effort will expand on current uses of haptic feedback on the platform, such as attention management, as well as novel high-potential uses that have already been identified, such as affective communication and self-awareness of biological signals. We will use a design funnel approach to select the most promising concepts for implementation, and to iteratively narrow our focus and refine application concepts from paper mock-ups to high-fidelity prototypes. The most promising concepts will be implemented and experimentally evaluated through quantitative and qualitative studies with individuals with a deep knowledge of children with ASD, including stakeholders at HOP-Child and external occupational therapists. The project will inform the design of the next generation of HOP-Child's wearable hardware and may lead to the integration of innovative haptic-driven functionalities on the platform.