Stress has become a common condition and is one of the chief causes of university course disenrollment. Most of the studies and tests on academic stress have been conducted in research labs or controlled environments, but these tests can not be extended to a real academic environment due to their complexity. Academic stress presents different associated symptoms, anxiety being one of the most common. This study focuses on anxiety derived from academic activities. This study aims to validate the following hypothesis: by using a non-contact method based on the use of remote photoplethysmography (rPPG), it is possible to identify academic stress levels with an accuracy greater than or equal to that of previous works which used contact methods. rPPG signals from 56 first-year engineering undergraduate students were recorded during an experimental task. The results show that the rPPG signals combined with students’ demographic data and psychological scales (the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory) improve the accuracy of different classification methods. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the proposed method provides 96% accuracy by using K-nearest neighbors, J48, and random forest classifiers. The performance metrics show better or equal accuracy compared to other contact methods. In general, this study demonstrates that it is possible to implement a low-cost method for identifying academic stress levels in educational environments.

Virtual environments (VEs) and haptic devices increase patients’ motivation. Furthermore, they observe their performance during rehabilitation. However, some of these technologies present disadvantages because they do not consider therapists’ needs and experience. This research presents the development and usability evaluation of an upper limb rehabilitation system based on a user-centered design approach for patients with moderate or mild stroke that can perform active rehabilitation. The system consists of a virtual environment with four virtual scenarios and a developed haptic device with vibrotactile feedback, and it can be visualized using a monitor or a Head-Mounted Display (HMD). Two evaluations were carried out; in the first one, five therapists evaluated the system’s usability using a monitor through the System Usability Scale, the user experience with the AttrakDiff questionnaire, and the functionality with customized items. As a result of these tests, improvements were made to the system. The second evaluation was carried out by ten volunteers who evaluated the usability, user experience, and performance with a monitor and HMD. A comparison of the therapist and volunteer scores has shown an increase in the usability evaluation (from 78 to >85), the hedonic score rose from 0.6 to 2.23, the pragmatic qualities from 1.25 to 2.20, and the attractiveness from 1.3 to 2.95. Additionally, the haptic device and the VE showed no relevant difference between their performance when using a monitor or HMD. The results show that the proposed system has the characteristics to be a helpful tool for therapists and upper limb rehabilitation.

This paper establishes design criteria for soft exogloves (SEG) to be used as rehabilitation or assistance devices. This research consists in identifying, selecting, and grouping SEG features based on the analysis of 91 systems that have been proposed during the last decade. Thus, function, mobility, and usability criteria are defined and explicitly discussed to highlight SEG design guidelines. Additionally, this study provides a detailed description of each system that was analysed including application, functional task, palm design, actuation type, assistance mode, degrees of freedom (DOF), target fingers, motions, material, weight, force, pressure (only for fluids), control strategy, and assessment. Such characteristics have been reported according to specific design methodologies and operating principles. Technological trends are contemplated in this contribution with emphasis on SEG design opportunity areas. In this review, suggestions, limitations, and implications are also discussed in order to enhance future SEG developments aimed at stroke survivors or people with hand disabilities.

There are different alternatives when selecting removable prostheses for below the knee amputated patients. The designs of these prostheses vary according to their different functions. These prostheses designs can be classified into Energy Storing and Return (ESAR), Controlled Energy Storing and Return (CESR), active, and hybrid. This paper aims to identify the state of the art related to the design of these prostheses of which ESAR prostheses are grouped into five types, and active and CESR are categorized into four groups. Regarding patent analysis, 324 were analyzed over the last six years. For scientific communications, a bibliometric analysis was performed using 104 scientific reports from the Web of Science in the same period. The results show a tendency of ESAR prostheses designs for patents (68%) and active prostheses designs for scientific documentation (40%).

Today, computer vision algorithms are very important for different fields and applications, such as closed-circuit television security, health status monitoring, and recognizing a specific person or object and robotics. Regarding this topic, the present paper deals with a recent review of the literature on computer vision algorithms (recognition and tracking of faces, bodies, and objects) oriented towards socially assistive robot applications. The performance, frames per second (FPS) processing speed, and hardware implemented to run the algorithms are highlighted by comparing the available solutions. Moreover, this paper provides general information for researchers interested in knowing which vision algorithms are available, enabling them to select the one that is most suitable to include in their robotic system applications.

There are different devices to increase the strength capacity of people with walking problems. These devices can be classified into exoskeletons, orthotics, and braces. This review aims to identify the state of the art in the design of these medical devices, based on an analysis of patents and literature. However, there are some difficulties in processing the records due to the lack of filters and standardization in the names, generating discrepancies between the search engines, among others. Concerning the patents, 74 patents were analyzed using search engines such as Google Patents, Derwent, The Lens, Patentscope, and Espacenet over the past ten years. A bibliometric analysis was performed using 63 scientific reports from Web of Science and The Lens in the same period for scientific communications. The results show a trend to use the mechanical design of exoskeletons based on articulated rigid structures and elements that provide force to move the structure. These are generally two types: (a) elastic elements and (b) electromechanical elements. The United States accounts for 32% of the technological patents reviewed. The results suggest that the use of exoskeletons or orthoses customized to the users’ needs will continue to increase over the years due to the worldwide growth in disability, particularly related to mobility difficulties and technologies related to the combined use of springs and actuators.