Foad Hamidi

Using Robotics and 3D Printing to Introduce Youth to Computer Science and Electromechanical Engineering

We describe the design and implementation of a learning experience to introduce high school students to electromechanical engineering and computer science education. We used a series of hands-on collaborative group learning activities to engage participants. Our interdisciplinary team designed the experience in a way that gradually introduced the youth to topics in robotics, 3D modelling, printing and assembly, through collaborative group activities. The workshop culminated in the real-time fabrication and display of a functional 3D printed robotic hand, which was designed and customized by the participants.

Who Should Have Access to my Pointing Data?: Privacy Tradeoffs of Adaptive Assistive Technologies

Customizing assistive technologies based on user needs, abilities, and preferences is necessary for accessibility, especially for individuals whose abilities vary due to a diagnosis, medication, or other external factors. Adaptive Assistive Technologies (AATs) that can automatically monitor a users current abilities and adapt functionality and appearance accordingly offer exciting solutions. However, there is an often-overlooked privacy tradeoff between usability and user privacy when designing such systems. We present a general privacy threat model analysis of AATs and contextualize it with findings from an interview study with older adults who experience pointing problems. We found that participants had positive attitude towards assistive technologies that gather their personal data but also had strong preferences for how their data should be used and who should have access to it. We identify a need to seriously consider privacy threats when designing assistive technologies to avoid exposing users to them.

Using Icons to Communicate Privacy Characteristics of Adaptive Assistive Technologies

Adaptive assistive technologies can support the accessibility needs of people with changing abilities by monitoring and adapting to their performance over time. Despite their benefits, these systems can pose privacy threats to users whose data is collected. This issue is amplified by the ambiguity on how user performance data, which might reveal sensitive health data, is used by these applications and whether similar to medical data it is protected from unauthorized sharing with third-parties. In interviews with older adults who experience pointing difficulties, we found that participants felt a lack of agency over their collected pointing data and desired clear communication mechanisms to keep them informed about the privacy characteristics of adaptive assistive systems. Based on this input, we present an icon set, that can be used in online application stores or with the licensing agreements of adaptive systems, to visually communicate privacy characteristics to users.

A Wearable System for Multisensory Stimulation Therapy for Children

Multisensory stimulation therapy involves the simultaneous stimulation of several senses in a relaxing environment to achieve a variety of therapeutic outcomes for clients with conditions affecting sensory and cognitive processes. We present, StimuHat, a wearable system for therapists to visually stimulate patients. We conducted a pilot study in which a therapist used StimuHat in sessions with three children with profound brain damage. The results showed that StimuHat appears to have stimulated the children and created positive relaxation and engagement in them.

Assessment Tools for an Afterschool Youth Maker Program

Afterschool maker and tinkerer programs for youth have gained popularity due to their ability to engage participants and support their creativity, teamwork and digital literacy. However, there are still many questions on designing the best measurement tools to assess the outcomes of these programs. We investigated the potential of two existing quantitative assessment tools, Grit-S and Alternative Uses Test (AUT), to assess attitude and creativity in the context of a youth afterschool maker program. We describe the results from these assessments and investigate youth attitudes towards them based on interviews with staff.