Literature Reviews
Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.
23 results found tagged assistive robotics.
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Robot-Assisted Group Tours for Blind People
Hu and colleagues investigate how an assistive mobile robot can support blind people's participation in mixed-visual group tours, where blind and sighted visitors share the same guided experience. The motivation is that group activities are central t…
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WanderGuide: Indoor Map-less Robotic Guide for Exploration by Blind People
Kuribayashi and colleagues design WanderGuide, a suitcase-shaped robotic guide that supports blind people in recreational, open-ended exploration of indoor environments — wandering, browsing, window-shopping — rather than getting from A to B. The tea…
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How Does Delegation in Social Interaction Evolve Over Time? Navigation with a Robot for Blind People
Hata and colleagues run a three-week longitudinal study of how six blind participants delegate social navigation tasks to a guide robot in the Miraikan science museum. The paper pushes back against the default assumption that accessible navigation ro…
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MotionBuddy: Exploring Tactile-Based Motion Learning with a Tabletop Humanoid Robot for Blind People
This HRI 2026 study by the same team behind the earlier 3D tactile-pose work asks whether a tabletop humanoid robot can convey dynamic body movements to blind learners more effectively than audio instruction alone. The motivation is that physical 3D …
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Demo of VJ-Voicebot: Control of Robotic Arm with the Vocal Joystick
This demonstration paper from the University of Washington presents VJ-Voicebot, a system that allows individuals with motor disabilities to continuously control a 5 degrees-of-freedom robotic arm using non-verbal vocal sounds. The system builds on t…
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A Storytelling Robot for Pediatric Rehabilitation
This paper from the University of Maryland's Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory and AnthroTronix describes PETS (Personal Electronic Teller of Stories), a storytelling robot designed for pediatric rehabilitation. Children control a large furry rob…
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Laser pointers and a touch screen: intuitive interfaces for autonomous mobile manipulation for the motor impaired
This paper presents El-E ("Ellie"), a prototype assistive mobile robot designed to help people with severe motor impairments retrieve everyday objects from the floor. The robot features a vertical lift with a 5-degree-of-freedom manipulator arm, ster…
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Speech Interaction with Personal Assistive Robots Supporting Aging at Home for Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease
This study examines speech-based interaction between older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and a mobile assistive robot called ED, designed to help with activities of daily living. The research addresses a critical healthcare challenge: many nat…
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What My Eyes Can't See, A Robot Can Show Me: Exploring the Collaboration Between Blind People and Robots
This University of Lisbon and University of São Paulo study explores how assistive robots can go beyond information-giving technologies (like screen readers) by physically collaborating with blind people. The research consists of two studies. Study 1…
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Co-design of Robotic Technology with Care Home Residents and Care Workers
This paper documents a co-design workshop series conducted at two care homes in Austria, involving 25 participants: 13 care workers (mean age 43.5) and 12 care home residents (mean age 80.6). The research question was whether introducing technology c…