Issey Takahashi

Supporting collective physical activities by interactive floor projection in a special-needs school setting

This paper presents an algorithm to provide floor projection feedback according to the local distance and density of individuals. It is realized by a large-space floor projection system with a feedback function based on human tracking with laser ranging image sensors. The purpose is to support the cognition of spatial–temporal structures of groups of adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) that are conducting organized physical activity (PA). Observation and evaluation of behavioral changes in adolescents with NDs, when they were active with or without the floor projection based on the proposed algorithm, were conducted to validate its effectiveness. We observed that the proposed algorithm can be implemented in different organized PAs. It had the effect to help individuals in a behavior to keep a close distance to each other as a group rather than to keep the same distance apart from each other while walking.

mika-oki
•
Read more

CANVAS: A Drawing Tool for AR-aided Special Needs Education using Interactive Floor Projection

In this paper, we propose a novel floor projection drawing tool for AR-aided special needs education, called CANVAS, which can be easily used by teachers or practitioners. We propose a method of using floor projection to support the activities of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) by summarizing the used elements of past activities: Positions (Points), Lines, Areas, and Symbols (PLAS method). This PLAS method fulfills the design requirements of the content that can be created on CANVAS, which is a tablet type drawing system. The content is transmitted in realtime to the gym projectors to realize realtime and interactive activities based on the projection of geometric shapes, at the intended place on the floor. Experimental results demonstrate that simple shapes such as circles and lines are sufficient to support cognition and changes in the physical behaviors of children with ND.

mika-oki
•
Read more

An Empathic Design Approach to an Augmented Gymnasium in a Special Needs School Setting

In this paper, we describe a case study of an empathic design approach for designing a technology-assisted teaching in a special needs school setting with involvement of teachers and their students. An advanced design platform with a large-scale spatial augmented and mixed reality system was installed in the gymnasium of the school to enhance the teachers' insights toward a solution. Through careful design consultations with the teachers in the platform, we designed a full-body interactive learning game for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which intends to keep their attention focused on the content provided for learning. A total of 5 researchers, 21 teachers, and 64 students were involved in the study. Three observations, three workshops, six meetings, and two feasibility studies were conducted with the participants in the case study. The game was evaluated in a viability testing in cooperation with 23 children (20 males and 3 females, mild/moderate ASD, 6-12 years-old). The result verified that 95.7 % of the children succeeded in implementing the task provided in the game, which indicated that the game has the potential to help them focus their attention on learning by introducing an element of fun. The case study strengthened the importance of an empathic design approach that relocates a design platform from researchers' environment to a special needs school setting for designing a technology-assisted teaching for children with ASD. The design approach helped the study participants learn more about the problems, needs, and strengths of the children, and provided an appropriate solution together with technology.

issey-takahashi
•
Read more
Honorable Mention

Designing Interactive Visual Supports for Children with Special Needs in a School Setting

Visual support (VS) is one of the effective ways of facilitating activities of children with neurodevelopmental disorder (ND). This paper reports on an interactive VS provided by a large-scale floor projection system in an augmented gymnasium called FUTUREGYM, designed for children with ND. The study focuses on students' cleaning, and two interactive VS activities-Mop Game, an exergame involving group cleaning, and Mop Guide, a VS for training about vocational cleaning-were designed with the teachers with the aim of motivating students toward cleaning and help them acquire fundamental cleaning skills. The study attempts to design a VS for cleaning that is suitable for the students by conducting an empathic design approach, which helps us understand what are the problems, obtain new perspectives, and gather ideas into demonstrative prototypes by sharing values and thoughts with the teachers and their students. This is a case study of deploying an empathic design approach in a special needs school setting.

issey-takahashi
•
Read more

FUTUREGYM: A gymnasium with interactive floor projection for children with special needs

Interpersonal interaction is one of the fundamental factors for successful inclusion in education for children with special needs, including children suffering from autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or intellectual disabilities (ID). In order to increase opportunities for interpersonal interactions among children, an interactive school gymnasium called FUTUREGYM, with a large-scale, interactive floor projection system in a school setting is proposed. As part of this study, high performance projectors (approximately 545-inch of total screen size) and tracking cameras mounted on the ceiling were installed in the gymnasium of a special needs school; these devices facilitated overlaying of individual visual aids for children with special needs. Visual aids help these children to be aware of social cues, a behavior that is considered important for the development of social interaction. Group activities to be conducted in FUTUREGYM were designed through careful consultations with teachers at the school: (1) Group running, called Circle-Run, provides an opportunity to experience a behavior that requires coordination with others, and (2) A group exergame, called Constellation Game, provides a situation to trigger helping behaviors by requiring them to be aware of other players' difficulties. The feasibility of these activities has been confirmed in this study through viability tests with the school's children with ASD and/or ID.

issey-takahashi
•
Read more

発達支援のための物理的に相互作用できる球体ロボットの開発 | Development of a Physically Interactive Spherical Robot for Developmental Support

In this study, we developed a spherical robot that can play tag in a gymnasium for students of special-needs schools, with the aim of promoting the development of physical and cognitive abilities and social adaptability. This is a possible way to alleviate the imbalance in participation opportunities due to differences in ability. In this presentation, we report on two points: the control method of the spherical robot and the detection of the robot's position in the gymnasium using the ceiling camera.

takahiro-ishii
•
Read more

Proposal of A Spacial Design for A Gymnasium Using Floor Projection

Social interaction supports are one of the fundamental factors to realize a successful inclusion in education for children with special needs, including those with Neurodevelopmental disorders. In order to develop their social interaction skills, we propose an interactive school gymnasium, called FUTUREGYM, with a large-scale interactive floor projection system. We installed high performance projectors and tracking cameras mounted on the ceiling of the gymnasium of a special needs school, providing interactive visual aids for students. We designed group activities to provoke voluntary wayfinding behavior and their social interaction: 1) A group run, called Circle-Run, promotes their cooperative running behaviors; 2) A group game, called Constellation Game, leads to the positive behaviors and stimulates helping behaviors; 3) A group stage, called Otsuka Olympic, helps enhancing motivation in sports events. We have confirmed the feasibility of the proposed environment throughout field studies with children with special needs.

issey-takahashi
•
Read more