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  • Journal article
    Puglia M, Parker L, Clube RKM, Demirel P, Aurisicchio Met al., 2024,

    The circular policy canvas: Mapping the European Union's policies for a sustainable fashion textiles industry

    , Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Vol: 204, ISSN: 0921-3449

    Policy plays a major role in enabling and accelerating the shift to a Circular Economy (CE). Transitioning to a CE in the Fashion Textiles Industry (FTI) requires a holistic policy approach through comprehensive and coherent policy interventions across the resource life cycle. This paper introduces the novel Circular Policy Canvas tool to systematically and visually map CE policies across six dimensions (policy environment, resource life cycle, CE loop, CE strategy, system element and circular business model). This is applied to thirty FTI policies in the EU policy landscape. The canvas enables policymakers and researchers to assess policies to identify gaps and priorities for CE policy development. The findings determine the recency of the EU policy agenda for a circular FTI meaning that there are gaps in terms of coverage and coherence. In particular, the study identifies a lack of attention to displacing the linear economy, a concentration of policies in the head and tail of the resource life cycle with gaps in the core, a dominance of policies in the outer over the inner loop and inadequate coverage of policies focused on actors, infrastructure and resources.

  • Journal article
    Kirby P, Lai H, Horrocks S, Harrison M, Wilson D, Daniels S, Calvo RA, Sharp DJ, Alexander CMet al., 2024,

    Patient and public involvement in technology-related dementia research: a scoping review

    , JMIR Aging, Vol: 7, ISSN: 2561-7605

    Background:Technology-related research for people with dementia and their carers often aims to enable people to remain living at home for longer and to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. To develop research that is person-centred, effective and ethical, patient and public involvement (PPI) is necessary, though may be perceived as more difficult with this cohort. With recent and rapid expansions in health and care related technology, this review explores how, and with what impact, collaborations between researchers and stakeholders such as people with dementia have taken place.Objective:To describe approaches to PPI used to date in technology-related dementia research, along with the barriers and facilitators and impact of PPI in this area.Methods:A scoping review of literature relating to dementia, technology and patient and public involvement was conducted using Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL. Papers were screened for inclusion by two authors. Data was then extracted using a pre-designed data extraction table by the same two authors; a third author supported resolution of any conflicts at each stage. Barriers and facilitators of undertaking PPI were then examined and themed.Results:Thirty-one papers were included for analysis. The majority (21/31) did not make clear distinctions between activities undertaken as PPI and activities undertaken by research participants, and as such their involvement did not fit easily into the NIHR definition of PPI. Most of this mixed involvement focused on the reviewing or evaluating of technology prototypes. A range of approaches was described, most typically using focus groups or co-design workshops. Nine studies described involvement at multiple stages through the research cycle, sometimes with evidence of sharing of decision-making power. Some studies commented on barriers or facilitators to effective PPI. Challenges identified were often around issues of working with people with significant cognitive impairments, and

  • Journal article
    Mohammed AA, Yao K, Ragaisyte I, Crestani D, Myant CW, Pinna Aet al., 2024,

    Stable and homogeneous SPION-infused Photo-Resins for 3D-printing magnetic hydrogels

    , Applied Materials Today, Vol: 37

    3D printing of magnetic stimuli hydrogels has shown promise in low-resolution extrusion printing but integrating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) into water-based photo-resins has posed challenges. Rapid agglomeration and sedimentation of SPION in photo-resins require continuous mixing during printing, leading to uneven nanoparticle (NP) distribution and inconsistent magnetic actuation. Here, we optimise the use of citric acid (CA) and l-sodium ascorbate (LA) as capping agents on the SPION's surface, before trialling them with photo-resins. Ultimately, we present a two-step approach to overcome these limitations, enabling high-resolution SLA-based 3D printing of hydrogels. By employing CA in both SPION and photo-resin preparation, we achieve a highly stable mixture that requires no agitation during printing, resulting in magnetically responsive hydrogels. This methodology can be applied to various photo-resin formulations, ensuring uniform NP distribution and enabling the 3D printing of stimuli-responsive materials for applications in soft robotics, aquatic micro-swimmers, and soft actuators. The breakthrough in stable and homogenous SPION-infused photo-resins has broad implications for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and regenerative medicine, offering novel biocompatible materials with resistance to stress and deformation. This approach can be extended to other NP with poor dispersion in hydrogels, paving the way for advanced functional materials in diverse applications.

  • Journal article
    Wang H, Ding Z, Chen X, Liu H, Li Net al., 2024,

    Experimental characterisation and constitutive modelling of the intra-ply tensile and shear properties of unidirectional fibre reinforced thermoplastics (UD FRTPs) under solid-state stamp forming conditions

    , Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, Vol: 179, Pages: 108034-108034, ISSN: 1359-835X
  • Journal article
    Hogg A, Jenkins M, Liu H, Squires I, Cooper S, Picinali Let al., 2024,

    HRTF upsampling with a generative adversarial network using a gnomonic equiangular projection

    , IEEE Transactions on Audio, Speech and Language Processing, ISSN: 1558-7916

    An individualised (HRTF) is very important for creating realistic (VR) and (AR) environments. However, acoustically measuring high-quality HRTFs requires expensive equipment and an acoustic lab setting. To overcome these limitations and to make this measurement more efficient HRTF upsampling has been exploited in the past where a high-resolution HRTF is created from a low-resolution one. This paper demonstrates how (GAN) can be applied to HRTF upsampling. We propose a novel approach that transforms the HRTF data for direct use with a convolutional (SRGAN). This new approach is benchmarked against three baselines: barycentric upsampling, (SH) upsampling and an HRTF selection approach. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms all three baselines in terms of (LSD) and localisation performance using perceptual models when the input HRTF is sparse (less than 20 measured positions).

  • Journal article
    Wang X, Lu Q, Lee D, Gan Z, Rojas Net al., 2024,

    A soft continuum robot with self-controllable variable curvature

    , IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Vol: 9, Pages: 2016-2023, ISSN: 2377-3766

    This letter introduces a new type of soft continuum robot, called SCoReS, which is capable of self-controlling continuously its curvature at the segment level; in contrast to previous designs which either require external forces or machine elements, or whose variable curvature capabilities are discrete—depending on the number of locking mechanisms and segments. The ability to have a variable curvature, whose control is continuous and independent from external factors, makes a soft continuum robot more adaptive in constrained environments, similar to what is observed in nature in the elephant's trunk or ostrich's neck for instance which exhibit multiple curvatures. To this end, our soft continuum robot enables reconfigurable variable curvatures utilizing a variable stiffness growing spine based on micro-particle granular jamming for the first time. We detail the design of the proposed robot, presenting its modeling through beam theory and FEA simulation—which is validated through experiments. The robot's versatile bending profiles are then explored in experiments and an application to grasp fruits at different configurations is demonstrated.

  • Journal article
    Abayazid FF, Ghajari M, 2024,

    Viscoelastic circular cell honeycomb helmet liners for reducing head rotation and brain strain in oblique impacts

    , Materials and Design, Vol: 239, ISSN: 0264-1275

    Rotational head motion is one of the major contributors to brain tissue strain during head impacts, which damages axons and vessels and leads to traumatic brain injury. Helmet technologies have come to market promising enhanced protection against such rotational head motion. We recently introduced novel air-filled viscoelastic cell arrays and showed that their shear response under oblique impacts can be tailored through altering the cell wall curvature. We found that concave cells provide shear stiffness that is a few folds larger than that of convex cells. Here we test whether altering the cell curvature can reduce head rotational kinematics and brain strain and whether the viscoelastic cell arrays outperform the reference EPS foam-based liner. To test these hypotheses, we incorporate the viscoelastic cell arrays in a bicycle helmet liner. We use validated finite element models of the helmet and replace the liner with validated finite element models of the cellular cell arrays. We simulate oblique impacts at different locations to represent a wide range of real-world bicycle head impacts. In all cases, the head kinematics and brain deformation metrics indicate significant improvements with the novel cell arrays over the conventional EPS liner. We show that the shear-compliant cell arrays can reduce head rotational acceleration by as much as 64 % and brain strain by 69 %, but not in all impact locations. Cell arrays with similar axial stiffness yet lower shear stiffness often bottomed out, indicating that a considerable amount of energy is dissipated via cell shearing around the impact zone. Our results show that placement of cells with varying amounts of shear stiffness should be optimised, with the most shear-compliant cells near the crown and the least near the temples. This study shows the promising performance of viscoelastic cell arrays in protecting the head and brain under oblique impacts and provides avenues for optimising the distribution of their compress

  • Journal article
    Kallitsis E, Lindsay JJ, Chordia M, Wu B, Offer GJ, Edge JSet al., 2024,

    Think global act local: The dependency of global lithium-ion battery emissions on production location and material sources

    , Journal of Cleaner Production, Pages: 141725-141725, ISSN: 0959-6526
  • Journal article
    Kakadellis S, Muranko Å», Harris ZM, Aurisicchio Met al., 2024,

    Closing the loop: enabling circular biodegradable bioplastic packaging flow through a systems-thinking framework

    , Cleaner and Responsible Consumption, Vol: 12, ISSN: 2666-7843

    Within a circular bioeconomy, biodegradable bioplastics (BBPs) have been promoted in fast-moving consumer goods to contribute towards closed-loop material flows. Consumers play a key role as enablers of these flows, provided they accept, understand and dispose of BBPs appropriately. Informed by focus groups, a framework combining multiple behavioural and design theories was developed to identify and structure systemic factors influencing the flow of BBPs through the consumption phase, with a focus on disposal. An exploratory network analysis based on a survey of 457 and 284 participants from two universities in the United Kingdom and the United States was then conducted to explore the interplay between factors and intentions to dispose of BBPs in different waste streams. Access to adequate organic waste infrastructure and pre-existing knowledge of BBP terminology and disposal routes were most strongly associated with intentions to dispose of BBPs alongside food waste. Mapping and facilitating consumer behaviour in tackling BBP waste is pivotal in designing sustainable systems for these materials.

  • Journal article
    Ding Z, Attar HR, Wang H, Liu H, Li Net al., 2024,

    Integrating convolutional neural network and constitutive model for rapid prediction of stress-strain curves in fibre reinforced polymers: A generalisable approach

    , Materials and Design, Pages: 112849-112849, ISSN: 0264-1275
  • Journal article
    Chen W, Rojas N, 2024,

    TraKDis: a transformer-based knowledge distillation approach for visual reinforcement learning with application to cloth manipulation

    , IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Vol: 9, Pages: 2455-2462, ISSN: 2377-3766

    Approaching robotic cloth manipulation using reinforcement learning based on visual feedback is appealing as robot perception and control can be learned simultaneously. However, major challenges result due to the intricate dynamics of cloth and the high dimensionality of the corresponding states, what shadows the practicality of the idea. To tackle these issues, we propose TraKDis , a novel Tra nsformer-based K nowledge Dis tillation approach that decomposes the visual reinforcement learning problem into two distinct stages. In the first stage, a privileged agent is trained, which possesses complete knowledge of the cloth state information. This privileged agent acts as a teacher, providing valuable guidance and training signals for subsequent stages. The second stage involves a knowledge distillation procedure, where the knowledge acquired by the privileged agent is transferred to a vision-based agent by leveraging pre-trained state estimation and weight initialization. TraKDis demonstrates better performance when compared to state-of-the-art RL techniques, showing a higher performance of 21.9%, 13.8%, and 8.3% in cloth folding tasks in simulation. Furthermore, to validate robustness, we evaluate the agent in a noisy environment; the results indicate its ability to handle and adapt to environmental uncertainties effectively. Real robot experiments are also conducted to showcase the efficiency of our method in real-world scenarios.

  • Journal article
    Lee D, Chen W, Chen X, Rojas Net al., 2024,

    G.O.G: a versatile gripper-on-gripper design for bimanual cloth manipulation with a single robotic arm

    , IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, Vol: 9, Pages: 2415-2422, ISSN: 2377-3766

    The manipulation of garments poses research challenges due to their deformable nature and the extensive variability in shapes and sizes. Despite numerous attempts by researchers to address these via approaches involving robot perception and control, there has been a relatively limited interest in resolving it through the co-development of robot hardware. Consequently, the majority of studies employ off-the-shelf grippers in conjunction with dual robot arms to enable bimanual manipulation and high dexterity. However, this dual-arm system increases the overall cost of the robotic system as well as its control complexity in order to tackle robot collisions and other robot coordination issues. As an alternative approach, we propose to enable bimanual cloth manipulation using a single robot arm via novel end effector design—sharing dexterity skills betweenmanipulator and gripper rather than relying entirely on robot arm coordination. To this end, we introduce a new gripper, called G.O.G., based on a gripper-on-gripper structure where the first gripper independently regulates the span, up to 500mm, between its fingers which are in turn also grippers. These finger grippers consist of a variable friction module that enables two grasping modes: firm and sliding grasps. Household item and cloth object benchmarks are employed to evaluate the performance of the proposed design, encompassing both experiments on the gripper design itself and on cloth manipulation. Experimentalresults demonstrate the potential of the introduced ideas toundertake a range of bimanual cloth manipulation tasks witha single robot arm. Supplementary material is available athttps://sites.google.com/view/gripperongripper.

  • Journal article
    Han H, Qin C, Xu D, Kar S, Castro FA, Wang Z, Fang J, Zhao Y, Hu Net al., 2024,

    Elevating intracellular action potential recording in cardiomyocytes: A precision-enhanced and biosafe single-pulse electroporation system.

    , Biosens Bioelectron, Vol: 246

    Action potentials play a pivotal role in diverse cardiovascular physiological mechanisms. A comprehensive understanding of these intricate mechanisms necessitates a high-fidelity intracellular electrophysiological investigative approach. The amalgamation of micro-/nano-electrode arrays and electroporation confers substantial advantages in terms of high-resolution intracellular recording capabilities. Nonetheless, electroporation systems typically lack precise control, and commonly employed electroporation modes, involving tailored sequences, may escalate cellular damage and perturbation of normal physiological functions due to the multiple or higher-intensity electrical pulses. In this study, we developed an innovative electrophysiological biosensing system customized to facilitate precise single-pulse electroporation. This advancement serves to achieve optimal and uninterrupted intracellular action potential recording within cardiomyocytes. The refinement of the single-pulse electroporation technique is realized through the integration of the electroporation and assessment biosensing system, thereby ensuring a consistent and reliable means of achieving stable intracellular access. Our investigation has unveiled that the optimized single-pulse electroporation technique not only maintains robust biosafety standards but also enables the continuous capture of intracellular electrophysiological signals across an expansive three-day period. The universality of this biosensing system, adaptable to various micro/nano devices, furnishes real-time analysis and feedback concerning electroporation efficacy, guaranteeing the sustained, secure, and high-fidelity acquisition of intracellular data, thereby propelling the field of cardiovascular electrophysiological research.

  • Journal article
    Pandey SR, Pinson P, Popovski P, 2024,

    Strategic Coalition for Data Pricing in IoT Data Markets

    , IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Vol: 11, Pages: 6454-6468

    This article establishes a market for trading Internet of Things (IoT) data that is used to train machine learning (ML) models. The data, either raw or processed, is supplied to the market platform through a network, and the price of such data is controlled based on the value it brings to the ML model under the adversity of the correlation property of data. Eventually, a simplified distributed solution for a data trading mechanism is derived that improves the mutual benefit of devices and the market. Our key proposal is an efficient algorithm for data markets that jointly addresses the challenges of availability and heterogeneity in participation, as well as the transfer of trust and the economic value of data exchange in IoT networks. The proposed approach establishes the data market by reinforcing collaboration opportunities between devices with correlated data to limit information leakage. Therein, we develop a network-wide optimization problem that maximizes the social value of coalition among the IoT devices of similar data types; at the same time, it minimizes the cost due to network externalities, i.e., the impact of information leakage due to data correlation, as well as the opportunity costs. Finally, we reveal the structure of the formulated problem as a distributed coalition game and solve it following the simplified split-and-merge algorithm. Simulation results show the efficacy of our proposed mechanism design toward a trusted IoT data market, with up to 32.72% gain in the average payoff for each seller.

  • Conference paper
    Li Y, Zhou Y, Shen C, Stewart Ret al., 2024,

    E-textile sleeve with graphene strain sensors for arm gesture classification of mid-air interactions

    , TEI '24: Eighteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction, Publisher: ACM, Pages: 1-10

    Arm gestures play a pivotal role in facilitating natural mid-air interactions. While computer vision techniques aim to detect these gestures, they encounter obstacles like obfuscation and lighting conditions. Alternatively, wearable devices have leveraged interactive textiles to recognize arm gestures. However, these methods predominantly emphasize textile deformation-based interactions, like twisting or grasping the sleeve, rather than tracking the natural body movement.This study bridges this gap by introducing an e-textile sleeve system that integrates multiple ultra-sensitive graphene e-textile strain sensors in an arrangement that captures bending and twisting along with an inertia measurement unit into a sports sleeve. This paper documents a comprehensive overview of the sensor design, fabrication process, seamless interconnection method, and detachable hardware implementation that allows for reconfiguring the processing unit to other body parts. A user study with ten participants demonstrated that the system could classify six different fundamental arm gestures with over 90% accuracy.

  • Journal article
    Fan Y, Olsson E, Johannessen B, DAngelo AM, Thomsen L, Cowie B, Smillie L, Liang G, Lei Y, Bo G, Zhao Y, Pang WK, Cai Q, Guo Zet al., 2024,

    Manipulation of Transition Metal Migration via Cr-Doping for Better-Performance Li-Rich, Co-Free Cathodes

    , ACS Energy Letters, Vol: 9, Pages: 487-496

    The irreversible migration of transition metals is a primary issue, resulting in detrimental structural changes and poor battery performance in Li-rich layered oxide (LLO) cathodes. Herein, we propose that manipulating the migration of transition metals between octahedral and tetrahedral sites effectively inhibits undesirable phase transitions by stabilizing the delithiated structure of LLOs at high potential. This is demonstrated by introducing Cr into the Co-free LLO, Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2. A new spinel-like phase, accompanied by significant lattice variation, was observed in the heavily cycled Co-free LLO at high potential by using operando synchrotron characterizations. Benefiting from a well-maintained solid-solution reaction after long-term cycling, Cr-doped Li1.2Ni0.2Mn0.6O2 delivers up to 99% of its initial discharge capacity after 200 cycles at 1C (∼200 mAh g-1), far surpassing the pristine material (∼74%). The work provides valuable insights into the structural degradation mechanisms of LLOs and underscores the importance of stabilizing the delithiated structure at high potential.

  • Journal article
    Yu X, Singh G, Kaur A, Ghajari Met al., 2024,

    An assessment of Sikh turban's head protection in bicycle incident scenarios

    , Annals of Biomedical Engineering, ISSN: 0090-6964

    Due to religious tenets, Sikh population wear turbans and are exempted from wearing helmets in several countries. However, the extent of protection provided by turbans against head injuries during head impacts remains untested. One aim of this study was to provide the first-series data of turbans' protective performance under impact conditions that are representative of real-world bicycle incidents and compare it with the performance of bicycle helmets. Another aim was to suggest potential ways for improving turban's protective performance. We tested five different turbans, distinguished by two wrapping styles and two fabric materials with a size variation in one of the styles. A Hybrid III headform fitted with the turban was dropped onto a 45 degrees anvil at 6.3 m/s and head accelerations were measured. We found large difference in the performance of different turbans, with up to 59% difference in peak translational acceleration, 85% in peak rotational acceleration, and 45% in peak rotational velocity between the best and worst performing turbans. For the same turban, impact on the left and right sides of the head produced very different head kinematics, showing the effects of turban layering. Compared to unprotected head impacts, turbans considerably reduce head injury metrics. However, turbans produced higher values of peak linear and rotational accelerations in front and left impacts than bicycle helmets, except from one turban which produced lower peak head kinematics values in left impacts. In addition, turbans produced peak rotational velocities comparable with bicycle helmets, except from one turban which produced higher values. The impact locations tested here were covered with thick layers of turbans and they were impacted against flat anvils. Turbans may not provide much protection if impacts occur at regions covered with limited amount of fabric or if the impact is against non-flat anvils, which remain untested. Our analysis shows that turbans can

  • Journal article
    Lu X, Lian GJ, Parker J, Ge R, Sadan MK, Smith RM, Cumming Det al., 2024,

    Effect of carbon blacks on electrical conduction and conductive binder domain of next-generation lithium-ion batteries

    , Journal of Power Sources, Vol: 592, ISSN: 0378-7753

    High energy and power density are key requirements for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. One way to improve the former is to reduce the binder and conductive additive content. Carbon black is an important additive that facilitates electronic conduction in lithium-ion batteries and affects the conductive binder domain although it only occupies 5–8% of the electrode mass. However, the function of the structure of carbon black on short- and long-range electronic contacts and pores in the electrode is still not clear and has not been systematically researched in detail. In this work, five carbon blacks with different BET surface areas, oil absorption numbers and ordered graphitic carbon content were investigated. It was found that the ratio of disordered amorphous carbon to ordered graphitic carbon in carbon blacks strongly influences the short- and long-range electrical conduction, and the BET surface area highly affects the pore structure and ionic conductivity in the electrode. Its optimum ratio, indicated by the Raman density ID/IG, is 0.93–0.95. The recommended BET surface area was 130–200 m2/g for this experimental range. The results of this study can provide guidance for the screening of carbon blacks in the lithium-ion battery industry.

  • Journal article
    Xu M, Liu Y, Yang K, Li S, Wang M, Wang J, Yang D, Shkunov M, Silva SRP, Castro FA, Zhao Yet al., 2024,

    Minimally invasive power sources for implantable electronics

    , Exploration, Vol: 4, ISSN: 2766-8509

    As implantable medical electronics (IMEs) developed for healthcare monitoring and biomedical therapy are extensively explored and deployed clinically, the demand for non-invasive implantable biomedical electronics is rapidly surging. Current rigid and bulky implantable microelectronic power sources are prone to immune rejection and incision, or cannot provide enough energy for long-term use, which greatly limits the development of miniaturized implantable medical devices. Herein, a comprehensive review of the historical development of IMEs and the applicable miniaturized power sources along with their advantages and limitations is given. Despite recent advances in microfabrication techniques, biocompatible materials have facilitated the development of IMEs system toward non-invasive, ultra-flexible, bioresorbable, wireless and multifunctional, progress in the development of minimally invasive power sources in implantable systems has remained limited. Here three promising minimally invasive power sources summarized, including energy storage devices (biodegradable primary batteries, rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors), human body energy harvesters (nanogenerators and biofuel cells) and wireless power transfer (far-field radiofrequency radiation, near-field wireless power transfer, ultrasonic and photovoltaic power transfer). The energy storage and energy harvesting mechanism, configurational design, material selection, output power and in vivo applications are also discussed. It is expected to give a comprehensive understanding of the minimally invasive power sources driven IMEs system for painless health monitoring and biomedical therapy with long-term stable functions.

  • Journal article
    Ferraro P, Zhao L, King C, Shorten Ret al., 2024,

    Personalized Feedback Control, Social Contracts, and Compliance Strategies for Ensembles

    , IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Vol: 11, Pages: 3942-3955

    This article describes the use of acrlong DLTs as a means to create personalized social nudges and to influence the behavior of agents in a smart city environment. Specifically, we present a scheme to price personalized risk in sharing economy applications. We provide proofs for the convergence of the proposed stochastic system and we validate our approach through the use of extensive Monte Carlo simulations.

  • Journal article
    Ruan H, Kirkaldy N, Offer G, Wu Bet al., 2024,

    Diagnosing health in composite battery electrodes with explainable deep learning and partial charging data

    , Energy and AI, Pages: 100352-100352, ISSN: 2666-5468
  • Journal article
    Chiara V, Sara C, Kevin S, Livio F, Francesco P, Picinali Let al., 2024,

    Spatial hearing training in virtual reality with simulated asymmetric hearing loss

    , Scientific Reports, Vol: 14, ISSN: 2045-2322

    Sound localization is essential to perceive the surrounding world and to interact with objects. This ability can be learned across time, and multisensory and motor cues play a crucial role in the learning process. A recent study demonstrated that when training localization skills, reaching to the sound source to determine its position reduced localization errors faster and to a greater extent as compared to just naming sources’ positions, despite the fact that in both tasks, participants received the same feedback about the correct position of sound sources in case of wrong response. However, it remains to establish which features have made reaching to sound more effective as compared to naming. In the present study, we introduced a further condition in which the hand is the effector providing the response, but without it reaching toward the space occupied by the target source: the pointing condition. We tested three groups of participants (naming, pointing, and reaching groups) each while performing a sound localization task in normal and altered listening situations (i.e. mild-moderate unilateral hearing loss) simulated through auditory virtual reality technology. The experiment comprised four blocks: during the first and the last block, participants were tested in normal listening condition, while during the second and the third in altered listening condition. We measured their performance, their subjective judgments (e.g. effort), and their head-related behavior (through kinematic tracking). First, people’s performance decreased when exposed to asymmetrical mild-moderate hearing impairment, more specifically on the ipsilateral side and for the pointing group. Second, we documented that all groups decreased their localization errors across altered listening blocks, but the extent of this reduction was higher for reaching and pointing as compared to the naming group. Crucially, the reaching group leads to a greater error reduction for the side where th

  • Conference paper
    Dave RJ, Min X, Lou Z, Stewart Ret al., 2024,

    Investigating construction and integration techniques of dry silver-based textile electrodes on electromyography of biceps Brachii muscle

    , 5th International Conference on the Challenges, Opportunities, Innovations and Applications in Electronic Textiles, Publisher: MDPI, ISSN: 2673-4591

    This research paper recommends an electrode construction and integration technique for dry silver-based textile electrodes capturing electromyographic (EMG) signals. Three integration methods with two different conductive textiles were compared using two analysis methods; analysis was also conducted before and after six washing cycles. Six wearable arm bands with each of the design parameter combinations were worn on the biceps brachii muscle to capture EMG signals from three users under a controlled task both before any washing of the bands occurred and after four washing cycles were completed. Additionally, impedance measurements over six frequency bands were recorded after each washing cycle. Textile electrodes made of Shieldex Techniktex P180B using an extended electrode integration method were found to perform best.

  • Conference paper
    Kao D, Ballou N, Gerling K, Breitsohl H, Deterding Set al., 2024,

    How does juicy game feedback motivate? Testing curiosity, competence, and effectance

    , New York, CHI 2024, Publisher: ACM

    ‘Juicy’ or immediate abundant action feedback is widely held to make video games enjoyable and intrinsically motivating. Yet we do not know why it works: Which motives are mediating it? Which features afford it? In a pre-registered (n=1,699) online experiment, we tested three motives mapping prior practitioner discourse— effectance, competence, and curiosity—and connected design fea- tures. Using a dedicated action RPG and a 2x2+control design, we varied feedback amplification, success-dependence, and variabil- ity and recorded self-reported effectance, competence, curiosity, and enjoyment as well as free-choice playtime. Structural equa- tion models show curiosity as the strongest enjoyment and only playtime predictor and support theorised competence pathways. Success dependence enhanced all motives, while amplification un- expectedly reduced them, possibly because the tested condition unintentionally impeded players’ sense of agency. Our study ev- idences uncertain success affording curiosity as an underappre- ciated moment-to-moment engagement driver, directly supports competence-related theory, and suggests that prior juicy game feel guidance ties to legible action-outcome bindings and graded success as preconditions of positive ‘low-level’ user experience.

  • Conference paper
    Robson N, McPherson A, Bryan-Kinns N, 2024,

    Thinking with sound: exploring the experience of listening to an ultrasonic art installation

    , CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Publisher: ACM

    Entanglement theories are well established in HCI discourse. These involve a commitment to view human experience in encounters with technology as relational and contingent, and research apparatuses as co-producers rather than passive observers of phenomena. In this paper, we argue that sound is the sensory modality best suited to the investigation of entanglements. Materialist theoriesof sound and listening guide both the design of a novel interactive sound installation and the methodological approach of a participant study exploring the experience of listening. We present a diffractive analysis whereby micro-phenomenological interview data is read with sonic theories, generating accounts that might otherwise remain mute: the temporal fluctuation and physical feeling ofproximity in listener entanglements with sound, somatic intention setting, and plural interpretations of interactivity. Finally, we offer a series of provocations for HCI to embrace qualities of the sonic and consider epistemological positions grounded in other sense modalities.

  • Conference paper
    Morrison L, McPherson A, 2024,

    Entangling entanglement: a diffractive dialogue on HCI and musical interactions

    , CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Publisher: ACM

    If, as several recent papers claim, we have entered a new wave of “Entanglement HCI,” then we are still at a liminal stage prior to consensus around which sources underpin this paradigm shift or how they might inform actionable approaches to design practice. Now is the time to interpret technosocial mediation from a range of disciplinary perspectives, rather than settling on a narrow canon of literature. To this end, our paper enacts a diffractive dialogue between researchers from different disciplines, focusing on digital musical instruments to examine how technical knowledge from design and engineering can be read against the grain of critical theories from music, media, and cultural studies. Drawing on two object lessons—keyboards and step sequencers, plus their remediations inrecent musical interaction research—we highlight interdependencies of theory, design, and practice, and we show how the idea of entanglement is itself entangled in a cross-disciplinary web.

  • Conference paper
    Sadek M, Constantinides M, Quercia D, Mougenot Cet al., 2024,

    Guidelines for integrating value sensitive design in responsible AI toolkits

    , CHI 2024, Publisher: ACM

    Value Sensitive Design (VSD) is a framework for integrating human values throughout the technology design process. In parallel, Responsible AI (RAI) advocates for the development of systems aligning with ethical values, such as fairness and transparency. In this study, we posit that a VSD approach is not only compatible, but also advantageous to the development of RAI toolkits. To empirically assess this hypothesis, we conducted four workshops involving 17 early-career AI researchers. Our aim was to establish links between VSD and RAI values while examining how existingtoolkits incorporate VSD principles in their design. Our findings show that collaborative and educational design features within these toolkits, including illustrative examples and open-ended cues, facilitate an understanding of human and ethical values, and empower researchers to incorporate values into AI systems. Drawing on these insights, we formulated six design guidelines for integrating VSD values into the development of RAI toolkits.

  • Conference paper
    Zhang M, Stewart R, Bryan-Kinns N, 2024,

    Empowering textile and fashion designers with e-textiles for creative expression

    , 5th International Conference on the Challenges, Opportunities, Innovations and Applications in Electronic Textiles, Publisher: MDPI, ISSN: 2673-4591

    In the field of textile and fashion design, there is a growing desire to integrate interactive technologies into creative work. Traditional design education typically lacks support for material-oriented designers to develop electronic skills alongside their expertise in materials. There is a need to develop proper support for these designers to enter the world of electronic textiles (e-textiles). Our previous work introduced a material-centred e-textile learning approach through the development of a toolkit. This paper offers a glimpse into a design project made by our students, where digital functionality intertwines with physical design. It serves as a testament to the effectiveness of our approach in merging interactive technology concepts with material expertise, thereby aiding these designers in their creative endeavours.

  • Conference paper
    Wang X, Rojas N, 2024,

    Cosserat rod modeling and validation for a soft continuum robot with self-controllable variable curvature

    , IEEE7th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Soft Robotics (ROBOSOFT 2024), Publisher: IEEE

    This paper introduces a Cosserat rod based math-ematical model for modeling a self-controllable variable curvature soft continuum robot. This soft continuum robot has a hollow inner channel and was developed with the ability to perform variable curvature utilizing a growing spine. The growing spine is able to grow and retract while modifies its stiffness through milli-size particle (glass bubble) granular jamming. This soft continuum robot can then perform continuous curvature variation, unlike previous approaches whose curvature variation is discrete and depends on the number of locking mechanisms or manual configurations. The robot poses an emergent modeling problem due to the variable stiffness growing spine which is addressed in this paper. We investigate the property of growing spine stiffness and incorporate it into the Cosserat rod model by implementing a combined stiffness approach. We conduct experiments with the soft continuum robot in various configurations and compared the results withour developed mathematical model. The results show that the mathematical model based on the adapted Cosserat rod matches the experimental results with only a 3.3% error with respect to the length of the soft continuum robot.

  • Journal article
    Li H, Gong Y, Zhou H, Li J, Yang K, Mao B, Zhang J, Shi Y, Deng J, Mao M, Huang Z, Jiao S, Kuang Y, Zhao Y, Luo Set al., 2024,

    Author Correction: Ampere-hour-scale soft-package potassium-ion hybrid capacitors enabling 6-minute fast-charging.

    , Nat Commun, Vol: 15

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