Game controllers are emerging as a preferred choice for the manual control of unmanned vehicles, but an understanding of their usability characteristics has yet to emerge. We compared the usability of an Xbox 360 game controller in a dual task situation using MATB II to the traditional joystick and keyboard interface in two experiments. In the first experiment, performance with the game controller was associated with fewer tracking errors. In a second experiment, we trained users on the devices, and found that even after training the game controller was still associated with fewer tracking errors as well as higher usability and lower workload ratings. These results are consistent with the idea that game controllers are highly usable input devices and do not require high mental workload to operate, thus making them suitable for complex control tasks.

Complex human system interface systems such as unmanned vehicles utilize controls that range from standard joystick and keyboard interfaces to Xbox controllers. However, few research studies have been conducted to compare Xbox controllers with other types of interfaces, showing mixed results between those controllers. The current study compared the performance of a joystick and keyboard interface with that of an Xbox controller in both a low and high difficulty task. The results indicate that the Xbox controller had lower tracking errors and trended to lower workload and a slightly higher usability score as measured by the system usability scale (SUS). An interaction between difficulty and controller was not found, however allowing for a longer practice time with the interfaces may have shown significant differences which are planned in a future study. Overall these results indicate favorable results that an Xbox controller may be a viable control interface for complex human system interaction tasks.MAR

Health-related quality of life is a comprehensive term to describe a person's experiences of health and illness. Quality of life (QOL) is a dynamic psychological construct encompassing interacting subjective and objective dimensions; thus, it is not directly observable. There is no gold standard for measuring quality of life due to the differing interests of doctors, caregivers, patients, and researchers. This chapter examines the research needs in the area of improving QoL through the proper implementation of AT. The authors also make recommendations for incorporating the needs of users and caregivers in the design, deployment, and use of AT to reduce device abandonment.

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Assistive robotics is a rapidly progressing field of study that contains facets yet to be fully understood. Here we look at the effect of robot form on user’s level of trust placed on the robot. Form-based trust was evaluated in this study by comparing participant trust ratings based on four robot designs: Lego Mindstorm, Keepon, Sphero and Ozzy. The first view of the robot and the interactions with the robots were examined with pre and post measurements of trust. Sphero and Lego received consistently higher trust ratings than Keepon and Ozzy. Pre-post measures reveal a difference between the initial measure of trust based on form, and the second measure of trust based on the observation of robot function.