50716 research outputs found
Sort by
First impressions of a humanoid social robot with natural language capabilities
No full textConcurrent developments in robotic design and natural language processing (NLP) have enabled the production of humanoid chatbots that can operate in commercial and community settings. Though still novel, the presence of physically embodied social robots is growing and will soon be commonplace. Our study is set at this point of emergence, investigating people’s first impressions of a humanoid chatbot in a public venue. Specifically, we introduced “Pepper” to attendees at an innovation festival. Pepper is a humanoid robot outfitted with ChatGPT. Attendees engaged with Pepper in a bounded interaction and provided feedback about their experience (n = 88). Qualitative analyses reveal participants’ mixed emotional resonance, reactions to Pepper’s embodied form and movements, expectations about interpersonal connection and rituals of interaction, and attentiveness to issues of diversity and social inclusion. Findings document live responses to a humanoid chatbot, highlight the affective, social, and material forces that shape human–robot interaction, and underscore the value of “in the wild” studies, creating space and scope for user-publics to express their perspectives and concerns. Such insights are acutely relevant as we enter this next era of social robotics.</p
Barriers to Self-Care and Seeking Help Among Mental Health Professionals and Trainees:A Systematic Review
No full textThe aim of this systematic review was to synthesize evidence identifying the barriers mental health professionals and clinicians in training face in both engaging in self-care and seeking help when in need. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were searched for articles published between 1990 and June 2024. Inclusion criteria reflected peer-reviewed articles published in English, report of original data where the participant sample targeted mental health professionals or trainees, and examination of barriers to self-care or help seeking. An adapted critical appraisal tool to assess the quality of cross-sectional studies (AXIS) and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative research were used to assess the quality of included studies. The review identified 14 studies (n = 5,422 participants) that examined barriers to seeking help or self-care. Mental health concerns appeared common among mental health professionals. Reported barriers reflected stigma, concern for confidentiality and career implications, and practical challenges associated with time, the competing demands of the profession, and cost. Barriers and concerns were shared across career stage and profession. The studies reviewed were limited by sampling and methodological issues that may underestimate the problem and miss important barriers or contextual factors associated with help-seeking and self-care behaviors. Improved understanding of the barriers mental health professionals and trainees face in seeking help and engaging in self-care is needed to inform improvements to workplace initiatives and training programs and the promotion of better health and well-being across the workforce.Public Health Significance StatementUnderstanding the barriers mental health professionals face in seeking help is important for safeguarding the workforce. Employers and educators play an important role in building a work culture where mental health professionals feel supported in seeking help and returning to work following periods of distress
Free vibration and large deformation characteristics of metamaterial thickness-deformable plates with initial geometrical imperfection
No full textA geometrically imperfect third-order auxetic metamaterial thickness- and shear-deformable plate is considered, and both the non-linear bending as well as the free vibrations are analysed. Distribution of the effective material properties from plate’s top surface to the bottom one follows a functionally graded form; material properties are effectively approximated via genetic programming-assisted micromechanics models from previous studies. Without ignoring geometrical non-linearities, the fourfold coupled axial, transverse, rotational, and stretching non-linear motion equations are formulated for a geometrically imperfect third-order auxetic metamaterial thickness- and shear-deformable plate using Hamilton’s principle. The generalised differential quadrature method is implemented to discretise the motion equations; the discretised motion equations are then solved for both the non-linear bending as well as the linear free vibrations. For partial validation, the model is compared with available data from the open literature for simplified cases (i.e., single-layer homogeneous plates without metamaterial characteristics) and with a single-layered isotropic rectangular perfectly straight plate modelled in ANSYS. The complex non-linear mechanics and linear free vibration of the metamaterial system are analysed for different geometrical parameters, graphene origami contents, folding degrees, and geometrical imperfections, and also for both the symmetric and asymmetric distribution patterns of graphene origami. The results reveal that the geometric imperfections reduce the transverse deflection, and metamaterial plates with asymmetric graphene origami distributions consistently have the largest non-linear deflections among all the graphene origami distributions studied
Secure Robotics:Navigating Challenges at the Nexus of Safety, Trust, and Cybersecurity in Cyber-Physical Systems
No full textThe growing pervasiveness of robotic and embodied artificial intelligence systems in daily life and within cyber-physical environments highlights a complex web of challenges at the intersection of robotic safety, human-to-robot trust, and cybersecurity. This article explores these challenges by emphasising the crucial role of security in establishing and maintaining trust between humans and robots, which is integral to successfully adopting and operating these systems in human environments. Safety considerations include mitigating the risks of physical harm and environmental damage due to robotic malfunctions or cyberattacks, particularly in autonomous robots requiring high built-in safety measures. From a cybersecurity perspective, these systems face unique challenges due to their complex, interconnected software and hardware components that necessitate robust protection against data breaches to ensure secure data communication. Additionally, the dynamic interaction of these systems with the physical environment adds a layer of complexity, which makes the safety, security, and reliability of these interactions a vital component of the overall security strategy. This article reviews these areas within the cyber-physical systems paradigm by focusing on engineering fail-safe mechanisms, the importance of trust and ethical responsibility in human-robot interactions, and the need for resilient cybersecurity measures. At this nexus, a table of crossover challenges illustrates the intricacy of integrating safety, trust, and security in robotic systems. This article introduces “secure robotics” as a new paradigm to address these collective challenges with a novel model to provide a structured methodology for evaluating and enhancing robotic system performance that symbolises the convergence of theoretical constructs with empirical analysis. By defining secure robotics, this article establishes a framework for advancing robotics in the cyber-physical era in alignment with current technological trends while anticipating future developments. This framework positions secure robotics as a key contributor to the evolution of cyber-physical systems.</p
Deep learning based time-dependent reliability analysis of an underactuated lower-limb robot exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation
No full textThis study evaluates the reliability of an underactuated wearable lower-limb exoskeleton designed to assist with gait rehabilitation. Recognizing the complexity of system reliability, a deep learning framework augmented with Long short-term Memory (LSTM) was utilized for the time-dependent reliability analysis of dynamic systems. The research commenced with the development of a lower-limb gait robot, modeled on a Stephenson III six-bar linkage mechanism. Following the mechanical design, computer-aided design (CAD) tools were employed to conceptualize a lower-limb robotic exoskeleton for rehabilitation purposes. The design incorporated two metallic materials (aluminum and steel), and a composite material (carbon fiber) tested using SolidWorks ®. The prototype achieved a lightweight design (~1.63 kg) for carbon fiber material. An LSTM-enhanced deep neural network algorithm was implemented to predict the time-dependent reliability of joint displacements and end-effector trajectories. Finally, conditional probability methods were applied to complete the time-dependent system reliability assessment. The designed mechanical system for gait rehabilitation demonstrated high reliability (R ≈ 0.87). Over 200 simulation runs, reliability trends showed consistent and robust predictions.</p
Attentional biases, as measured by motion-induced blindness, are linked to schizophrenia traits
No full textTypically, people demonstrate a small attentional bias towards the left visual field. This bias has not consistently been observed in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia has been thought to be linked to a top visual field bias, due to an impaired dorsal stream found in those individuals. Here we assessed left/right and upper/lower spatial biases measuring perceptual disappearances in a motion-induced blindness (MIB) task and link those to schizophrenia traits. The sample were consisted of first year psychology students (N=54; 22 males, 31 females, and 1 prefer not to say; age 18–54 years; median age=23). Schizophrenia traits were measured using the schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ) and perceptual aberration scale (PAS). We found that higher SPQ scores correlated with a top field bias. Higher interpersonal scores (an SPQ subscore) linked to a right field, and so did PAS (p=.007). Higher cognitive-perceptual scores linked to a left field bias. Taken together, this study supports a complex relation between spatial attention and schizophrenia traits in MIB, in which a top field bias may reflect an impaired dorsal stream. A possible implication of these findings is that MIB may serve as a potential tool for screening early schizophrenia traits.</p
Navigating Kkondae bullying and power distance: generational perspectives and workplace dynamics in South Korean higher education
No full textSouth Korean workplaces are hierarchical and intergenerational, often leading to a unique form of bullying call Kkondae. Kkondae is a term for older individuals who behave in an authoritarian and dismissive way. This study first explored the experiences of Kkondae bullying among South Korean tertiary educators, focusing on how power distance (PD) influences its impact on job satisfaction and work stress, and how bullying by older vs. younger individuals affects intergenerational dynamics. Adopting a pragmatist approach, this study integrated Mannheim’s Generational Cohort Theory with Hofstede’s Power Distance through an exploratory sequential mixed method design with three generational cohorts of educators (N=23, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z). Thematic analysis revealed that power distance (PD) played a key role and impacted participants’ workplace experiences. A subsequent survey of 156 Gen Z using PD as a moderator found that high PD moderated the relationships between experiences of Kkondae bullying and workplace outcomes such as job satisfaction and work stress. The integration of Generational Cohort Theory with Hofstede’s power distance dimension makes a significant contribution by offering a comprehensive understanding of Kkondae as a complex socialcultural phenomenon with both positive effects and negative consequences
The Contributions of Student-Level and Classroom-Level Factors for Australian Grade 2 Students’ Writing Performance
No full textUsing multilevel modeling, the current study examined student-level predictors of compositional quality and productivity in Grade 2 Australian children (N = 544), including handwriting automaticity, literacy skills, executive functioning, writing attitudes, and gender; and classroom-level (n = 47) variables predicting students’ writing outcomes, including the amount of time for writing practices and the explicit teaching of foundational (handwriting, spelling, grammar) and process writing skills (planning and revision strategies). Multilevel analyses revealed that student-level factors, including gender, general attitudes, and transcription skills (handwriting automaticity and spelling), were key predictors of writing outcomes. Interaction analyses showed that spelling and word reading influenced writing outcomes, with effects varying by gender. At the classroom-level, time spent on planning had a positive effect on students’ compositional quality, and time spent on spelling instruction had a negative effect on students’ compositional productivity. Implications for research and education are discussed
Establishing Therapeutic Relationships with Immigrant Families of Disabled Children:A Scoping Review
No full textBackground. Cultural approaches are used to acknowledge the diversity and the social positioning individuals bring into the therapeutic relationship. Purpose. This scoping review describes the utilization of cultural approaches to build and sustain therapeutic relationships between immigrant families of disabled children and occupational therapists. Method. This scoping review was based on the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley. Six databases were searched, and 24 articles published between 2010 and 2025 were included. Results. Cultural competence, cultural sensitivity and cultural humility were the cultural approaches mentioned in 15 studies, with nine not mentioning a specific cultural approach to facilitate the therapeutic relationship. All the studies outlined strategies to facilitate the relationship. Various culturally appropriate communicative and collaborative strategies were used to (i) establish rapport and trust (ii) align goals and intervention and (iii) facilitate advocacy and participation. These strategies were independently described and were not specific to any approach. Conclusion. Facilitating the therapeutic relationship with immigrant families of disabled children does not align specifically with any of the cultural approaches within occupational therapy. This reinforces the need to focus not on the cultural approaches, but on refining the strategies required to facilitate the therapeutic relationship.</p
