skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Wearables can help me learn: A survey of user perception of wearable technologies for learning in everyday life
Wearable devices are a popular class of portable ubiquitous technology. These devices are available in a variety of forms, ranging from smart glasses to smart rings. The fact that smart wearable devices are attached to the body makes them particularly suitable to be integrated into people’s daily lives. Thus, we propose that wearables can be particularly useful to help people make sense of different kinds of information and situations in the course of their everyday activities, in other words, to help support learning in everyday life. Further, different forms of wearables have different affordances leading to varying perceptions and preferences, depending on the purpose and context of use. While there is research on wearable use in the learning context, it is mostly limited to specific settings and usually only explores wearable use for a specific task. This paper presents an online survey with 70 participants conducted to understand users’ preferences and perceptions of how wearables may be used to support learning in their everyday life. Multiple ways of use of wearable for learning were proposed. Asking for information was the most common learning-oriented use. The smartwatch/wristband, followed by the smart glasses, was the most preferred wearable form factor to support learning. Our survey results also showed that the choice of wearable type to use for learning is associated with prior wearable experience and that perceived social influence of wearables decreases significantly with gain in the experience with a fitness tracker. Overall, our study indicates that wearable devices have untapped potential to be used for learning in daily life and different form factors are perceived to afford different functions and used for different purposes.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1942937
PAR ID:
10317590
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Education and information technologies
ISSN:
1573-7608
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; (, IoT)
    null (Ed.)
    The privacy of users and information are becoming increasingly important with the growth and pervasive use of mobile devices such as wearables, mobile phones, drones, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Today many of these mobile devices are equipped with cameras which enable users to take pictures and record videos anytime they need to do so. In many such cases, bystanders’ privacy is not a concern, and as a result, audio and video of bystanders are often captured without their consent. We present results from a user study in which 21 participants were asked to use a wearable system called FacePET developed to enhance bystanders’ facial privacy by providing a way for bystanders to protect their own privacy rather than relying on external systems for protection. While past works in the literature focused on privacy perceptions of bystanders when photographed in public/shared spaces, there has not been research with a focus on user perceptions of bystander-based wearable devices to enhance privacy. Thus, in this work, we focus on user perceptions of the FacePET device and/or similar wearables to enhance bystanders’ facial privacy. In our study, we found that 16 participants would use FacePET or similar devices to enhance their facial privacy, and 17 participants agreed that if smart glasses had features to conceal users’ identities, it would allow them to become more popular. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Science Translational Medicine)
    Despite promising results in the rehabilitation field, it remains unclear whether upper limb robotic wearables, e.g., for people with physical impairments resulting from neurodegenerative disease, can be made portable and suitable for everyday use. We present a lightweight, fully portable, textile-based, soft inflatable wearable robot for shoulder elevation assistance that provides dynamic active support to the upper limbs. The technology is mechanically transparent when unpowered, can quantitatively assess free movement of the user, and adds only 150 grams of weight to each upper limb. In 10 individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with different degrees of neuromuscular impairment, we demonstrated immediate improvement in the active range of motion and compensation for continuing physical deterioration in two individuals with ALS over 6 months. Along with improvements in movement, we show that this robotic wearable can improve functional activity without any training, restoring performance of basic activities of daily living. In addition, a reduction in shoulder muscle activity and perceived muscular exertion, coupled with increased endurance for holding objects, highlight the potential of this device to mitigate the impact of muscular fatigue for patients with ALS. These results represent a further step toward everyday use of assistive, soft, robotic wearables for the upper limbs. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; (, Computers)
    Wearable smart devices have become ubiquitous in modern society, extensively researched for their health monitoring capabilities and convenience features. However, the “wearability” of these devices remains a relatively understudied area, particularly in terms of design informed by clinical trials. Wearable devices possess significant potential to enhance daily life, yet their success depends on understanding and validating the design factors that influence comfort, usability, and seamless integration into everyday routines. This review aimed to evaluate the “wearability” of smart devices through a mixed-methods scoping literature review. By analyzing studies on comfort, usability, and daily integration, it sought to identify design improvements and research gaps to enhance user experience and system design. From an initial pool of 130 publications (1998–2024), 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. The review identified three significant outcomes: (1) a lack of standardized assessment methods, (2) the predominance of qualitative over quantitative assessments, and (3) limited utility of findings for informing design. Although qualitative studies provide valuable insights, the absence of quantitative research hampers the development of validated, generalizable design criteria. This underscores the urgent need for future studies to adopt robust quantitative methodologies to better assess wearability and inform evidence-based design strategies. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
    Textiles hold great promise as a soft yet durable material for building comfortable robotic wearables and assistive devices at low cost. Nevertheless, the development of smart wearables composed entirely of textiles has been hindered by the lack of a viable sheet-based logic architecture that can be implemented using conventional fabric materials and textile manufacturing processes. Here, we develop a fully textile platform for embedding pneumatic digital logic in wearable devices. Our logic-enabled textiles support combinational and sequential logic functions, onboard memory storage, user interaction, and direct interfacing with pneumatic actuators. In addition, they are designed to be lightweight, easily integrable into regular clothing, made using scalable fabrication techniques, and durable enough to withstand everyday use. We demonstrate a textile computer capable of input-driven digital logic for controlling untethered wearable robots that assist users with functional limitations. Our logic platform will facilitate the emergence of future wearables powered by embedded fluidic logic that fully leverage the innate advantages of their textile construction. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; (, International Supply Chain Technology Journal)
    Social Distancing is the new normal. The key is to keep 6 feet of space between yourself and others. While this might seem like a daunting task, this can be achieved through smart wearables. Wearable technology impacts the daily life of its users. Our goal is to develop a smart band which will help in achieving that with sensing the opposite tagged- band within Six-feet and giving out signals to the end-user as a vibration and blinking of a Red LED. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email