Keshav Neha U, Salisbury Joseph P, Vahabzadeh Arshya, Sahin Ned T
Brain Power, Cambridge, MA, United States.
Psychiatry Academy, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2017 Sep 21;5(9):e140. doi: 10.2196/mhealth.8534.
Augmented reality (AR) smartglasses are an emerging technology that is under investigation as a social communication aid for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and as a research tool to aid with digital phenotyping. Tolerability of this wearable technology in people with ASD is an important area for research, especially as these individuals may experience sensory, cognitive, and attentional challenges.
The aim of this study was to assess the tolerability and usability of a novel smartglasses system that has been designed as a social communication aid for children and adults with autism (the Brain Power Autism System [BPAS]). BPAS runs on Google Glass Explorer Edition and other smartglasses, uses both AR and affective artificial intelligence, and helps users learn key social and emotional skills.
A total of 21 children and adults with ASD across a spectrum of severity used BPAS for a coaching session. The user's tolerability to the smartglasses, user being able to wear the smartglasses for 1 minute (initial tolerability threshold), and user being able to wear the smartglasses for the entire duration of the coaching session (whole session tolerability threshold) were determined through caregiver report.
Of 21 users, 19 (91%) demonstrated tolerability on all 3 measures. Caregivers reported 21 out of 21 users (100%) as tolerating the experience, while study staff found only 19 out of 21 users managed to demonstrate initial tolerability (91%). Of the 19 users who demonstrated initial tolerability, all 19 (100%) were able to use the smartglasses for the entire session (whole session tolerability threshold). Caregivers reported that 19 out of 21 users (91%) successfully used BPAS, and users surpassed caregiver expectations in 15 of 21 cases (71%). Users who could communicate reported BPAS as being comfortable (94%).
This preliminary report suggests that BPAS is well tolerated and usable to a diverse age- and severity-range of people with ASD. This is encouraging as these devices are being developed as assistive technologies for people with ASD. Further research should focus on improving smartglasses design and exploring their efficacy in helping with social communication in children and adults with ASD.
增强现实（AR）智能眼镜是一项新兴技术，正在作为自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童和成人的社交沟通辅助工具以及用于数字表型分析的研究工具进行研究。这种可穿戴技术在自闭症患者中的耐受性是一个重要的研究领域，特别是因为这些个体可能会经历感官、认知和注意力方面的挑战。
本研究的目的是评估一种新型智能眼镜系统（即脑动力自闭症系统[BPAS]，该系统被设计为自闭症儿童和成人的社交沟通辅助工具）的耐受性和可用性。BPAS运行于谷歌眼镜探索版及其他智能眼镜上，同时使用增强现实和情感人工智能，并帮助用户学习关键的社交和情感技能。
共有21名不同严重程度的自闭症儿童和成人在一次辅导课程中使用了BPAS。通过照料者报告确定用户对智能眼镜的耐受性、用户能够佩戴智能眼镜1分钟（初始耐受性阈值）以及用户能够在整个辅导课程期间佩戴智能眼镜（整个课程耐受性阈值）。
在21名用户中，19名（91%）在所有三项指标上均表现出耐受性。照料者报告21名用户全部（100%）能够耐受该体验，而研究人员发现21名用户中只有19名（91%）表现出初始耐受性。在表现出初始耐受性的19名用户中，全部19名（100%）能够在整个课程中使用智能眼镜（整个课程耐受性阈值）。照料者报告21名用户中有19名（91%）成功使用了BPAS，并且在21例中有15例（71%）用户超出了照料者的预期。能够交流的用户报告称BPAS佩戴起来很舒适（94%）。
这份初步报告表明，BPAS对于不同年龄和严重程度范围的自闭症患者具有良好的耐受性且可用。鉴于这些设备正被开发为自闭症患者的辅助技术，这是令人鼓舞的。进一步的研究应侧重于改进智能眼镜的设计，并探索其在帮助自闭症儿童和成人进行社交沟通方面的功效。
