| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/J010766/1 |
| Title: |
Kinetic User Interfaces and Multiuser 3D Virtual Worlds for Older People |
| Principal Investigator: |
Ang, Dr C |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Sch of Engineering & Digital Arts |
| Organisation: |
University of Kent |
| Scheme: |
First Grant - Revised 2009 |
| Starts: |
27 September 2012 |
Ends: |
14 December 2013 |
Value (£): |
97,397
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Human-Computer Interactions |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Healthcare |
Information Technologies |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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07 Dec 2011
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EPSRC ICT Responsive Mode - Dec 2011
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Older people may experience changes with age, such as a decline in physical and cognitive capabilities, which could result in deterioration of their social relationships and quality of life. It is important to help them to maintain independence and delay the need for institutionalised care. It is therefore crucial to find novel ways that motivate them to have a more active life. One area of such possibility is 3D virtual worlds (VW), which provide a creative and social space for users to engage in various activities.
In fact, virtual worlds, such as Second Life, have increasingly showed promise in healthcare. There are for instance a variety of healthcare support groups for topics such as mental health, disabilities, depression and cancer in virtual worlds. Most importantly, it is claimed that virtual worlds could help chronically ill patients and disabled users by allowing them to temporarily leave their disabilities behind and participate in social activities and better express their ideas and creativity through association with groups in virtual worlds. Studies suggest that frequent engagement in creative activity, such as computer game playing, might be helpful in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease and combating serious depression among older people.
However, a key obstacle when implementing virtual worlds for healthy ageing is the adoption of conventional user interfaces (such as the keyboard and mouse) which are often not well suited for older people. For instance, navigation (moving around in virtual world) and object manipulation (such as selecting and positioning a virtual object) pose serious usability issues even for younger users who are reasonably familiar with the computer. Another potential issue concerns the design of non-verbal cues for online communication through the use of avatars (graphical virtual representation of the user). Non-verbal cues are important in human communication. In virtual world, users can express themselves through the use of avatar gestures (such as waving, bowing), usually by pressing certain shortcut keys on the keyboard. An important design issue therefore lies in finding a natural way to allow for more expressive social interaction with nonverbal cues.
In recent years, there has been an emergence of a new user interface paradigm known as Natural User Interfaces (NUI). Instead of using conventional devices such as the keyboard and mouse, users interact with their computers using gestures, speech, and thoughts. One type of NUI, known as Kinetic User Interfaces (KUI) allows users to interact with the computer through body motions. Examples of such devices include Microsoft Xbox Kinect and Nintendo Wii. Such relatively natural ways to interact with technologies make it easier to learn, thus lowering the barrier of engagement.
Therefore, the proposed research programme aims to conduct a detailed investigation on how Kinetic User Interfaces (KUI) can be employed effectively to design innovative 3D virtual worlds accessible to older people. Older people's behaviour will be studied in depth to inform to 3D design solutions for this specific population. Prototypes will be developed and evaluated to assess the effectiveness of KUI-based 3D design in virtual world. Addressing these issues, we ultimately aim to make 3D technology more accessible and engaging for older people, thus motivate them to participate in active life style through this technology.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.kent.ac.uk |