Literature Reviews

Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.

• Demonstrating Eyes-Free Object Retrieval via Fingertip Deflection Guidance Using the NURing

  Tomasz P. Trzpit, Gregory Reardon, Elizabeth Gerber, Pedro Lopes, Michael Peshkin, J. Edward Colgate (2026) — Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstract is an interactive-demo paper introducing a vision-enabled version of NURing, a tendon-driven wearable ring that guides reach by gently deflecting the wearer’s fingertip. The authors frame the work around a recurring re…

  • haptic feedback
  • kinesthetic feedback
  • wearable technology
  • blindness
  • visual impairment
  • assistive technology
  • eyes-free interaction
  • guidance

• A Preliminary Study of Wearable Olfactory-Thermal Feedback for Immersive VR Cultural Heritage

  Hanbing Wang, Xiang Li, Kexin Nie, Yunfeng Shu, Xizi Liu, Xiwen Liu, Yingying Liu, Zhixin Cai, Mingjie Zhou, Xianqi Wang, Li Zhao, Chunling Wu, Lie Zhang (2026) — Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstract reports a preliminary between-subjects user study (N=52) of NeckScents, a lightweight neck-worn wearable that delivers short, pre-authored pulses of scented warm airflow near the face to augment audiovisual VR. The aut…

  • virtual reality
  • multisensory interaction
  • olfactory display
  • thermal feedback
  • cultural heritage
  • wearable technology
  • immersion
  • aesthetic experience

• SocialCue: Exploring the Design Space of Social Wayfinding Assistants for Blind and Low Vision People

  Veronica Bossio Botero, Sidharth Sharma, Ruoyu Iris Xu, Lisa Maria DiSalvo, Ritvik Sharma, Brian A. Smith (2026) — Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  SocialCue is a wearable technology probe that targets a problem most assistive navigation work ignores: not where to walk, but how to read and act inside an unfolding social scene. The authors argue that existing tools for blind and low vision (BLV) …

  • blind and low vision
  • social navigation
  • wayfinding
  • wearable technology
  • computer vision
  • spatial audio
  • technology probe
  • nonverbal communication
  • assistive technology

• Mnemonic Tracing: Using Eye Gaze to Search for Visual Memories

  Wazeer Zulfikar, Yasith Samaradivakara, Paul Pu Liang, Pattie Maes (2026) — Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  Mnemonic Tracing is a non-verbal image-retrieval interaction in which a user, wearing eye-tracking glasses, deliberately retraces the contents of a remembered image with their gaze on a blank surface. The paper builds on gaze-reinstatement research, …

  • eye tracking
  • gaze interaction
  • gaze reinstatement
  • episodic memory
  • image retrieval
  • hands-free interaction
  • implicit interaction
  • wearable technology
  • multimodal AI

• Camera-Based Closed-Loop Fingertip Deflection Guidance: Pilot Demonstrations in Target Acquisition and Object Retrieval

  Tomasz P. Trzpit, Gregory Reardon, Elizabeth M. Gerber, Pedro Lopes, Michael A. Peshkin, J. Edward Colgate (2026) — Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstracts poster from the Northwestern/University of Chicago team behind the NURing project presents a camera-enabled evolution of their fingertip-deflection guidance wearable. The authors argue that most eyes-free guidance sys…

  • haptics
  • wearable technology
  • assistive technology
  • blindness and low vision
  • eyes-free interaction
  • guidance
  • kinesthetic feedback
  • computer vision
  • fingertip deflection
  • object retrieval

• Open, Accurate, and Calibration-Free Muscle-Computer Interfaces

  Ethan Eddy, Evan Campbell, Erik J. Scheme, Scott Bateman (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Eddy and colleagues tackle one of the long-standing barriers to practical muscle-computer interfaces (MCIs): that accurate, cross-user gesture recognition from forearm EMG has historically required either per-user calibration or access to closed data…

  • muscle-computer interface
  • electromyography
  • EMG
  • gesture recognition
  • machine learning
  • wearable technology
  • alternative input
  • myoelectric control
  • open source
  • prosthetics

• From Preference to Performance: Patient-Centered Design of Multimodal Cueing in Parkinson's Disease Gait Training

  Xinjin Li, Wenjie Wang, Kai Wang, Houzhen Tuo, Xiaolong Ma, Xiaohui Tan, Wei Sun, Feng Tian, Xiaojuan Ma (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper reports a patient-centered design and evaluation of a wearable multimodal cueing system for gait rehabilitation in early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD). The authors first run semi-structured interviews with 10 early-stage PD patie…

  • parkinson's disease
  • gait training
  • multimodal cueing
  • rehabilitation
  • wearable technology
  • augmented reality
  • haptic feedback
  • motor disability
  • patient-centered design
  • IMU

• AI That Moves With You: A Review of Interactive Technologies Powered by Large Foundation Models for Mobility Impairment

  Duosi Dai, Yuchong Zhang, Yong Ma, Danica Kragic (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper is a scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) of how large foundation models - LLMs, large vision models, and vision-language models - are being woven into interactive assistive technologies for people with mobility impairments, covering publications f…

  • foundation model
  • large language model
  • vision-language model
  • literature review
  • scoping review
  • mobility impairment
  • motor disability
  • blind and low vision
  • wheelchair users
  • ALS
  • assistive technology
  • conversational agent
  • robotics
  • wearable technology
  • accessibility research

• Collaboration and Assistive Technology: Facilitating Joint Awareness for Noise Sensitivity

  Emani Hicks, Luc Rieffel, Ariya Gowda, Aehong Min, Gillian R Hayes (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  People with noise sensitivity (PWNS) - including those with misophonia, hyperacusis, and tinnitus, and overlapping strongly with the autistic community (estimated 45% prevalence) - experience everyday sounds as painful, distressing, or overwhelming. …

  • noise sensitivity
  • misophonia
  • hyperacusis
  • sensory processing
  • autism
  • neurodivergence
  • wearable technology
  • mobile accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • collaborative care
  • self-regulation
  • technology probe
  • qualitative research

• ElectroGrasp: Electrotactile Aids for Visually Impaired Individuals in Anticipatory Planning and Control of Grasp

  Hechuan Zhang, Rufei Song, Ruoyan Liu, Shengsheng Jiang, Xiaohui Tan, Tianren Luo, Yulin Jin, Hongnan Lin, Teng Han, Feng Tian (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Sighted people pre-shape their hand before touching an object - a visually-driven anticipatory grasp plan that visually impaired (VI) users cannot form, leading to the characteristic 'double grip' (initial contact followed by compensatory regrasp) th…

  • blind and low vision
  • electrotactile feedback
  • haptic technology
  • assistive technology
  • wearable technology
  • spatial perception
  • grasping
  • proprioception
  • sensory substitution
  • motor control
  • cross-modal plasticity