WristEye: Wrist-Wearable Devices and a System for Supporting Elderly Computer Learners

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Today, there is an increase in the number of elderly people who want to start using computers and the Internet. However, elderly people are hindered by limited education, limited knowledge of digital information, words they do not know, and not knowing how to use the computer keyboard and mouse. The setbacks and frustration they face in learning to use the computer causes them to feel computer anxiety. This paper proposes a computer-learning-assisted system equipped with wrist-wearable devices to help elderly computer learners as they perform computer learning tasks. This system, named the WristEyesystem, can discern and analyze learners' attitudes, reactions, and behaviors as they participate in computer literacy classes. In the WristEyesystem, a kinematic sensor attached to a student's wrist can detect differences in wrist orientation and vertical acceleration and determine which learning computer operations are in process, i.e., directing the mouse, hitting the keyboard, idle, and random undirected movement of the mouse. Moreover, a remote backend server receives the detected signal from the wearable unit by a wireless sensor network and then analyzes the corresponding computer learning effectiveness to produce results in graphic and score form to an instructor who can use this information to better tailor his lessons and activities to the needs of the learners.