Safe Interaction Research Articles

WAYS TO FORM THE BASIS OF MEDIA LITERACY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS DURING COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASS

The article justifies theoretically the ways of forming the basics of media literacy in primary school students at the computer science lessons. It has been determined that the following ways contribute to the formation of media literacy: the conducting of a system of computer science lessons using specific forms, methods and techniques of work, filled with the purposeful motivated media-active performance of the students; the analysis and integration of media products (the development of critical thinking); the involvement in media creativity. Each of the named ways is self-sufficient, but when implemented in a system, they become multi-vector under the influence of external and internal factors. It is important that by developing certain skills in different situations, an individual acquires media literacy, which helps form their own identity and independence. One of the defining ways of forming the basics of media literacy at the computer science lessons is the use of various pedagogical forms, methods, and work techniques that contribute to the purposeful motivated media-active performance of the students. Another effective way is the analysis and the integration of media resources. In this regard, primary school computer science lessons should develop the skills for safe interaction with television, the Internet, and other media, in order neither to abuse nor to harm their own development and psychological health. Computer science lessons should contribute to the increase of the students' resilience to information manipulation and propaganda, as well as to prevent abuse and the destructive influence of the media on children's psyche. Based on the above, it has been established that the formation of the basics of media literacy in primary school students is promoted by: the conducting of a system of computer science lessons with the use of specific forms, methods, and techniques of work, filled with the purposeful motivated media-active performance of the students; the analysis and integration of media products (the development of critical thinking); the involvement in media creativity.
 Keywords: information; media; media illiteracy; media education; primary school students; computer science lessons; computer; methods; techniques; forms; ways.

Multi-Level ECDH-Based Authentication Protocol for Secure Software-Defined VANET Interaction

The proposed multi-layer ECDH based authentication model, the vehicles in the VANET are authenticated and authorized to protect the network from the attacks for which the vehicles undergo the registration process initially. After the successful registration, the messages generated from the vehicles are communicated with each other through multi-step authentication, which assures the exactness of the received messages. Then, the authorization process is executed in the VANET so as to ensure the safe and secure interactions between the vehicles. The implemented authentication model is analyzed using the comparative methods based on the performance standards, such as detection accuracy, execution time, packet delivery ratio (PDR) and throughput. The detection accuracy, execution time, PDR and the throughput of the network while executing the proposed multi-level ECDH based authentication system is better than the prevailing security models as the security features of the existing models are enhanced better than the existing state-of-art methods.

Preventing data leakage by securing chat session with randomized session ID

Messaging applications have become one of the largest and most popular smartphone applications. It includes the capacity for the users to communicate between themselves via text messages, photos and files. It is necessary to safeguard all messages. Privacy is one of the biggest issues which most individuals in the world of instant messaging ignore. Although several instant messaging applications offer varying security for users, the weaknesses and danger of data assault are increasing. Not just business discussions, our data must also be safeguarded during everyday discussions since data is very sensitive for everybody, and data protection is very crucial to prevent undesired loss of information. To address these types of weaknesses and hazards associated with data attacks, we require an encrypted messaging protocol and also hide IP address method for a safe interaction. This paper's goal is to protect conversations from targeted attacker by securing the communication between user and hide IP address from unauthorized access.

Smart handheld medical device with patient-specific force regulation mechanism

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to design a smart handheld device with force regulating function, which demonstrates the concept of patient-specialized tools.Design/methodology/approachThis handheld device integrates an electrical bioimpedance (EBI) sensor for tissue measurement and a constant force regulation mechanism for ensuring stable tool–tissue contact. Particular focuses in this study are on the design of the constant force regulation mechanism whose design process is through genetic algorithm optimization and finite element simulation. In addition, the output force can be changed to the desired value by adjusting the cross-sectional area of the generated spring.FindingsThe following two specific applications based on ex vivo tissues are used for evaluating the designed device. One is in terms of safety of interaction with delicate tissue while the other is for compensating involuntary tissue motion. The results of both examples show that the handheld device is able to provide an output force with a small standard deviation.Originality/valueIn this paper, a handheld device with force regulation mechanism is designed for specific patients based on the genetic algorithm optimization and finite element simulation. The device can maintain a steady and safe interaction force during the EBI measurement on fragile tissues or moving tissues, to improve the sensing accuracy and to avoid tissue damage. Such functions of the proposed device are evaluated through a series of experiments and the device is demonstrated to be effective.

The health impacts of a 4-month long community-wide COVID-19 lockdown: Findings from a prospective longitudinal study in the state of Victoria, Australia

To determine health impacts during, and following, an extended community lockdown and COVID-19 outbreak in the Australian state of Victoria, compared with the rest of Australia. A national cohort of 898 working-age Australians enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study, completing surveys before, during, and after a 112-day community lockdown in Victoria (8 July- 27 October 2020). Outcomes included psychological distress, mental and physical health, work, social interactions and finances. Regression models examined health changes during and following lockdown. The Victorian lockdown led to increased psychological distress. Health impacts coincided with greater social isolation and work loss. Following the extended lockdown, mental health, work and social interactions recovered to an extent whereby no significant long-lasting effects were identified in Victoria compared to the rest of Australia. The Victorian community lockdown had adverse health consequences, which reversed upon release from lockdown. Governments should weigh all potential health impacts of lockdown. Services and programs to reduce the negative impacts of lockdown may include increases in mental health care, encouraging safe social interactions and supports to maintain employment relationships.

Examining and Understanding the Dynamics of COVID-19 Pandemic and the Ecosystems Theory-Social Work Perspectives

The novel COVID-19 has affected every aspect of our lives in tremendous and unimaginable ways. The systems impacted include healthcare, education, economy, employment, and social systems including children and families. It has also affected our political and legal systems including individual rights as well as national discourse and international travel and relations. The advent of this unique and extraordinary issue requires that professionals like social workers, doctors, counselors/therapists, and psychologists adapt their approaches, strategies, skills, services and interventions to better serve clients/patients and operate effectively in the new societal order. This article explores the effect and response to the COVID-19 Pandemic within the United States as well as in the global context and draw an analytical relationship between it and the ecosystems theory. Thus, using the conceptual framework of the ecosystems theory, I draw a relationship between human behavior and the social environment using anecdotal cases in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. I contend that the polarized reactions from certain groups of individuals in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and mask mandates are because people are social beings and are inextricably impacted by their social and ecological environment, as well as factors within this environment, and requires a special examination, understanding, knowledge, adaptation, and strategic approach. Finally, I recommend best practice intervention approaches to social workers who are interacting and intervening with, and/or providing services to these unique clients to support healthy working relationships, and to facilitate a formidable needs assessment that leads to a successful and safe interaction and intervention.

FORMATION OF SENSE OF SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL SECURITY IN STUDENTS OF ECONOMIC AND LEGAL SPECIALTIES

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the features and factors of formation of socio-psychological security of young people in southern Ukraine. It was conducted a survey of 208 students majoring in Law and Economics (aged 16–26, 67,8% of women). It was used Questionnaire-self-report T.V. Eksakusto which allows to assess the harmony, satisfaction and security of the subject in interpersonal relationships (cognitive, emotional and conative components of the sense of socio-psychological security). The author analyzed the distribution of answers to individual questions concerning means and conditions of maintaining the psychological integrity of the subject of relations. The results of comparative analysis of subsamples of students from different bachelor’s and master’s undergraduate courses showed the rapid dynamics of the formation of all components of socio-psychological security during university studies, which is associated with the acquisition of personal maturity and professional competencies. Significant differences were found, showing the influence of family and gender factors: lower levels of psychological protection in girls compared to boys, as well as numerous benefits sense of security in married people. Conclusions are made about the need for purposeful formation of skills of safe interpersonal interaction of students starting from the first year of study.

Design of a 3D-Printed Soft Robotic Hand With Integrated Distributed Tactile Sensing

Humans rely on distributed tactile sensing in their hands to achieve robust and dexterous manipulation of delicate objects. Soft robotic hands have received increased attention in recent years due to their adaptability to unknown objects and safe interactions with the environment. However, the integration of distributed sensing in soft robotic hands is lacking. This is largely due to the complexity in the integration of soft sensing solutions with the hands. This letter proposes a novel soft robotic hand that incorporates an active palm and distributed pneumatic tactile sensing in both the fingers and the palm. Multi-material 3D printing allows the tactile sensors to be directly printed on the hand, whereas conventional tactile approaches require the sensors to be attached as part of multiple fabrication procedures. Active degrees of freedom are introduced in the palm to achieve increased dexterity. The proposed hand successfully performed 32 of the 33 Feix taxonomy grasps and all 11 Kapandji thumb opposition poses.

Planning of Soft-Rigid Hybrid Arms in Contact With Compliant Environment: Application to the Transrectal Biopsy of the Prostate

In this study, a rigid robot is hybridized with a soft part to improve its properties of relative positioning and safe interaction. While the design of the device is quite simple, the kinematics, on the other hand, becomes complex. Pre-operative planning of such a robot is a challenge that is faced in this letter. The clinical context is the automation of transrectal prostate biopsy: a robot is connected to a thin ultrasound (US) probe instrumented with a needle through a flexible silicone part. The procedure consists of: moving the probe near the prostate through the rectum, aligning the probe with identified lesions in the prostate, and shooting the needle to collect tissue samples. In this letter we demonstrate in simulation the feasibility of our methods to solve the planning of the entire procedure. The approach we propose is based on numerical models of both robot and soft tissues, using the Finite Element Method (FEM) to model the soft parts, and a mapping mechanism to propagate the forces and displacements between the soft and rigid models. Finally, we extend the optimization algorithm proposed in previous work for the relative positioning of the hybrid robot on targets in the prostate, as it interacts with the soft tissues. With this formulation we can also set an upper limit to the force the robot is applying on its surroundings, which is particularly critical for the application we study in this letter.

Autonomous Locomotion Trajectory Shaping and Nonlinear Control for Lower Limb Exoskeletons

This article presents a strategy for autonomous locomotion trajectory planning for high-level control of lower limb exoskeletons by defining a novel set of adaptive central pattern generators (ACPGs) to facilitate safe and compliant interaction with the human. A time-varying bounded-gain adaptive disturbance observer is designed for estimating the human–robot interaction (HRI) needed for online central pattern generator (CPG)-based trajectory shaping and low-level nonlinear trajectory tracking control. The proposed ACPG dynamics for each exoskeleton joint updates the motion frequency and amplitude based on the observed HRI torque, which is also coupled with adjacent joints’ CPGs to regulate their phase differences in real time. An integrated Lyapunov analysis is conducted to ensure the closed-loop system’s stability and uniformly ultimately boundedness of both the tracking error and the torque estimation error in the controlled exoskeleton. Experimental studies are performed with an able-bodied human wearer by applying arbitrary torques on the exoskeleton’s joints in order to evaluate the proposed autonomous control strategy in online adjustment and personalization of the locomotion.

Whole-Body Fuzzy Based Impedance Control of a Humanoid Wheeled Robot

Humanoid robots can imitate human behaviour and provide interactive services to humans due to their humanoid form, especially humanoid wheeled robots that can perform more complex tasks with the additional mobility. With the development of robotics technology, humanoid robots have been used increasingly in the domestic environment where the robot needs to interact with unknown environments. This requires the robot to have both the ability to track with high accuracy and the ability to comply with complex environments. It is known that the robots with impedance control can have a superior performance in terms of compliance with unknown contact environments. However, the mobility of humanoid robots with wheels complicates the dynamic model of robots, which makes the development of impedance control challenging. In this letter, a whole-body impedance control approach for humanoid wheeled robots is proposed, with fuzzy adaptive systems to compensate for the uncertain dynamics of the controlled system. This approach realizes safe interaction and compliant operation with unknown environments including humans. Additionally, the experimental results conducted on a humanoid wheeled robot illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

Airway Queerance

Airway Queerance

Human Intention-Oriented Variable Admittance Control with Power Envelope Regulation in Physical Human-Robot Interaction

Human intention adaptation is usually realized by changing impedance/admittance parameters according to human interaction in physical human-robot interaction (pHRI). However, determining which admittance parameters need to be updated and how to update depends on the context of pHRI and system stability. This paper aims to provide a systematic study for all three admittance parameters considering human intention adaptation and system passivity for ensuring an intuitive and safe pHRI. For intuitiveness, a general human intention framework based on the robot's roles is summarized as a premise for designing human intention-oriented updating rules for admittance parameters. For the changing trends of these parameters (i.e., increasing or decreasing), only those impacting system passivity are studied. A power envelope regulation (PER) concept is then proposed to impose constraints on variable admittance parameters inferred from human intention for maintaining safe interaction. Our initial results suggest that the passivity condition is not a sufficient condition for system stability in pHRI, whereas preserving the power envelope inferred from the passivity condition can maintain passivity as well as avoid mismatch of admittance parameters arising from unpredicted human interaction. As a result, drastic changes in admittance controller dynamics, which usually result in instability, are restrained. The effectiveness of our approaches not only to maintain intuitive interaction but also to preserve passivity is validated via numerical simulation and experiments.

Dogs Exhibiting High Levels of Aggressive Reactivity Show Impaired Self-Control Abilities.

Inhibitory control describes a multitude of cognitive processes that prevents an impulsive response and enables a more appropriate behavior in a given situation. The ability to inhibit undesirable behaviors, such as aggression, is particularly important in dogs for safe and successful interspecific interaction and cooperation. The present study investigated the associations between two aspects of inhibitory control in dogs, self-control and cognitive inhibition, and the tendency to respond aggressively when provoked. Sixteen police and fourteen privately owned dogs of the same sex, breed group and similar age participated. Self-control, often described as impulsivity, was measured with an exchange paradigm themed the delay of gratification test, and cognitive inhibition with an object discrimination paradigm called the reversal learning test. Aggressive reactivity was assessed with a standardized aggression-eliciting behavior test. When comparing police and privately owned dogs, police dogs showed higher aggression levels and poorer self-control, while the two groups did not differ in cognitive inhibition. Regardless of the dog group, the main results indicated impairments in self-control in dogs with high levels of aggressive reactivity. Dogs showing biting behavior had worse self-control abilities compared to dogs with no signs of aggression. No association between cognitive inhibition and aggression was found. We conclude that self-control, measured as the ability to tolerate delayed rewards, appears to be an important aspect of inhibitory control involved in the tendency to respond aggressively, particularly in police dogs.

High‐Brightness, High‐Resolution, and Flexible Triboelectrification‐Induced Electroluminescence Skin for Real‐Time Imaging and Human–Machine Information Interaction

AbstractWith perceiving and converting mechanical stimuli into electrical and visual readouts simultaneously, electronic skin endows a safe and effective interaction between human and environment. However, both weak optical signals and low spatial resolution are still challenging the potential application of electronic skin in human–machine information interaction (HMI). Herein, a novel high‐brightness, high‐resolution, and flexible triboelectrification‐induced electroluminescence (TIEL) skin is developed for real‐time imaging and HMI. The TIEL skin composed of ZnS:Cu‐embedded polyvinylidene‐fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene (ZEPH) film can convert gentle touch stimuli into real‐time light emission at trigger pressure threshold as low as 1.25 kPa. Moreover, collected by fiber optic spectrometer, the brightness of TIEL is 2.5 times as strong as an LED lighted up by 2 V power supply. Meanwhile, the bright TIEL emission can also be observed by the naked eyes in the daytime. Furthermore, a spatial resolution of less than 220 µm can be achieved in real‐time TIEL imaging. Additionally, by integrating the ZEPH films with the microcontroller, a wearable optical–electrical dual‐output‐based wireless communication system is constructed to control the trajectory of a miniature car. The unique operation of the desired TIEL with simple fabrication demonstrates a great potential in trajectory tracking, skin prosthesis, robotics, and advanced HMI.

Modeling and analysis of soft robotic surfaces actuated by pneumatic network bending actuators

Soft robots are a nascent field that aims to provide a safe interaction with humans and better adaptability to unstructured environments. Many tentacle-like one-dimensional soft robots that can mimic the basic motion in nature are developed owing to ease of design and fabrication. To expand the spectrum of soft robots, this paper gives a detailed introduction of a new type of sheet-like two-dimensional soft robot. This soft robot is called soft robotic surface (SRS), which is actuated by pneumatic network bending actuators. An analytical model of the SRS is constructed based on the minimum potential energy method, which considers both its geometry complexity and material nonlinearity. The comparisons among the analytical, experimental, and numerical results demonstrate that the analytical model can accurately predict the SRS deformation. The maximum root mean squared error for the surface morphing is 3.429 mm, which is less than 5% of the maximum displacement for the free end. The effects of the actuating pressure and structural parameter on the SRS deformation are also investigated. The results reveal that the deformation shape of the SRS can be reconfigured by controlling the applied pressure. And the bending angle of the two actuators both decreases with the increase of the width and thickness of the soft surface. The SRS extends the research on soft robots and the developed analytical model also solves the fundamental problem of how to programme the surface morphing of soft robot surfaces. Finally, we fabricate a soft gripper that can grasp object objects with different sizes, shapes, and stiffness, which demonstrates the application of the SRS.

Visual servoing of continuum robots: Methods, challenges, and prospects.

Recent advancements in continuum robotics have accentuated developing efficient and stable controllers to handle shape deformation and compliance. The control of continuum robots (CRs) using physical sensors attached to the robot, particularly in confined spaces, is difficult due to their limited accuracy in three-dimensional deflections and challenging localisation. Therefore, using non-contact imaging sensors finds noticeable importance, particularly in medical scenarios. Accordingly, given the need for direct control of the robot tip and notable uncertainties in the kinematics and dynamics of CRs, many papers have focussed on the visual servoing (VS) of CRs in recent years. The significance of this research towards safe human-robot interaction has fuelled our survey on the previous methods, current challenges, and future opportunities. Beginning with actuation modalities and modelling approaches, the paper investigates VS methods in medical and non-medical scenarios. Finally, challenges and prospects of VS for CRs are discussed, followed by concluding remarks.

The surface electromyography noise filtering and unwanted recordings attenuation for lower limb robotic system

<p>Exoskeleton robotic device (ERD) for rehabilitation purposes, physically interacts alongside with the user where high cognitive interaction and the safe human - machine system is required. To ensure safe interaction, there is a need to detect the user’s motion intention. One of the bio-signals that have been found to reflect directly the individual’s motion intention is surface electromyography (sEMG). However, sEMG signals are inevitably full of noises, not to mention the unwanted recordings and other artifact s between muscles where they cannot be freely used as a control signal for ERD. This paper presents the use of the Butterworth filter for noise suppression and the attenuation of unwanted recordings. Using classical Butterworth filter typically is unable to eliminate or attenuate the unwanted contamination on the signal of interest to its baseline level. Therefore, it is critical to modify the Butterworth filter at this stage. sEMG signals from the biceps femoris and rectus femoris muscles of seven health y male young adults were recorded in this study. The onset/ offset technique is utilized to detect the presence of the additional signal contaminated on the signal of interest. If the onset/offset index points are not approximately correlated with the movement, this means there is a contaminated measurement on the signal of interest. At this interval, a filter with distributed cutoff frequency plays the role to have the already smoothed baseline signal. In summary, the modified Butterworth filter shows to have a good performance to suppress the noises and to attenuate the unwanted recordings adaptively which ensures a safe human-machine system.</p>

3D printing of resilient biogels for omnidirectional and exteroceptive soft actuators.

Soft robotics greatly benefits from nature as a source of inspiration, introducing innate means of safe interaction between robotic appliances and living organisms. In contrast, the materials involved are often nonbiodegradable or stem from nonrenewable resources, contributing to an ever-growing environmental footprint. Furthermore, conventional manufacturing methods, such as mold casting, are not suitable for replicating or imitating the complexity of nature's creations. Consequently, the inclusion of sustainability concepts alongside the development of new fabrication procedures is required. We report a customized 3D-printing process based on fused deposition modeling, printing a fully biodegradable gelatin-based hydrogel (biogel) ink into dimensionally stable, complex objects. This process enables fast and cost-effective prototyping of resilient, soft robotic applications from gels that stretch to six times their original length, as well as an accessible recycling procedure with zero waste. We present printed pneumatic actuators performing omnidirectional movement at fast response times (less than a second), featuring integrated 3D-printed stretchable waveguides, capable of both proprio- and exteroception. These soft devices are endowed with dynamic real-time control capable of automated search-and-wipe routines to detect and remove obstacles. They can be reprinted several times or disposed of hazard-free at the end of their lifetime, potentially unlocking a sustainable future for soft robotics.

Serious Games Strategies With Cable-Driven Robots for Bimanual Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Post-Stroke Patients.

Cable-driven robots can be an ideal fit for performing post-stroke rehabilitation due to their specific features. For example, they have small and lightweight moving parts and a relatively large workspace. They also allow safe human-robot interactions and can be easily adapted to different patients and training protocols. However, the existing cable-driven robots are mostly unilateral devices that can allow only the rehabilitation of the most affected limb. This leaves unaddressed the rehabilitation of bimanual activities, which are predominant within the common Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Serious games can be integrated with cable-driven robots to further enhance their features by providing an interactive experience and by generating a high level of engagement in patients, while they can turn monotonous and repetitive therapy exercises into entertainment tasks. Additionally, serious game interfaces can collect detailed quantitative treatment information such as exercise time, velocities, and force, which can be very useful to monitor a patient’s progress and adjust the treatment protocols. Given the above-mentioned strong advantages of both cable driven robots, bimanual rehabilitation and serious games, this paper proposes and discusses a combination of them, in particular, for performing bilateral/bimanual rehabilitation tasks. The main design characteristics are analyzed for implementing the design of both the hardware and software components. The hardware design consists of a specifically developed cable-driven robot. The software design consists of a specifically developed serious game for performing bimanual rehabilitation exercises. The developed software also includes BiEval. This specific software allows to quantitatively measure and assess the rehabilitation therapy effects. An experimental validation is reported with 15 healthy subjects and a RCT (Randomized Controlled Trial) has been performed with 10 post-stroke patients at the Physiotherapy’s Clinic of the Federal University of Uberlândia (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The RCT results demonstrate the engineering feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed cable-driven robot in combination with the proposed BiEval software as a valuable tool to augment the conventional physiotherapy protocols and for providing reliable measurements of the patient’s rehabilitation performance and progress. The clinical trial was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the UFU (Brazil) under the CAAE N° 00914818.5.0000.5152 on plataformabrasil@saude.gov.br.