This Article introduces two research projects towards assistive robotic arms for people with severe body impairments. Both projects aim to develop new control and interaction designs to promote accessibility and a better performance for people with functional losses in all four extremities, e.g. due to quadriplegic or multiple sclerosis. The project MobILe concentrates on using a robotic arm as drinking aid and controlling it with smart glasses, eye-tracking and augmented reality. A user oriented development process with participatory methods were pursued which brought new knowledge about the life and care situation of the future target group and the requirements a robotic drinking aid needs to meet. As a consequence the new project DoF-Adaptiv follows an even more participatory approach, including the future target group, their family and professional caregivers from the beginning into decision making and development processes within the project. DoF-Adaptiv aims to simplify the control modalities of assistive robotic arms to enhance the usability of the robotic arm for activities of daily living. lo decide on exemplary activities, like eating or open a door, the future target group, their family and professional caregivers are included in the decision making process. Furthermore all relevant stakeholders will be included in the investigation of ethical, legal and social implications as well as the identification of potential risks. This article will show the importance of the participatory design for the development and research process in MobILe and DoF-Adaptiv.

Die Technik des Online-Studiums wird unter vier Aspekten vorgestellt: Struktur, Lernraum, Lerneinheiten, Ausblick.

In der wissenschaftlichen Literatur gibt es kaum Studien, die sich mit der konkreten Alltagstauglichkeit von Smartwatches beschäftigen, um zu verstehen, warum die Klasse von wearables eher ein Nischendasein führt. In diesem Beitrag wird daher die Verwendung einer Smartwatch am Beispiel Kochen untersucht. Hierzu wurde eine Koch-App mit Rezeptinformationen für eine Smartwatch entwickelt, welche über Hand- und Armbewegungen in Form von Gesten bedient werden kann. In einer Feldstudie mit acht Probanden wurde ermittelt, inwieweit diese Interaktionsform den Kochprozess verändert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die unmittelbare Verfügbarkeit der Uhr sowohl Effizienz- als auch Effektivitätsvorteile gegenüber klassischen Kochhilfen bietet. Die Steuerung via Freihandgesten erlaubte zudem die Nutzung in einem Szenario, in welchem die Hände oft belegt oder verschmutzt sind und somit eine Bedienung per Finger problematisch sein kann. Die Uhr wurde von den Probanden dabei als nützliches Werkzeug erachtet, obwohl diese bislang keinerlei Erfahrung mit einem solchen Gerät hatten.

Being able to live independently and self-determined in one’s own home is a crucial factor or human dignity and preservation of self-worth. For people with severe physical impairments who cannot use their limbs for every day tasks, living in their own home is only possible with assistance from others. The inability to move arms and hands makes it hard to take care of oneself, e.g. drinking and eating independently. In this paper, we investigate how 15 participants with disabilities consume food and drinks. We report on interviews, participatory observations, and analyzed the aids they currently use. Based on our findings, we derive a set of recommendations that supports researchers and practitioners in designing future robotic drinking and eating aids for people with disabilities.