Designing and Evaluating Augmented Reality Systems for Supporting Nonspeaking Individuals in Daily Communication Tasks

Date
2025-01-31
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Abstract

This work discusses the development and evaluation of an augmented reality (AR) system called CommunicatAR, designed to assist nonspeaking individuals in being independent of an aid worker while communicating with others. The system employs interactive conversational virtual agents that utilize computer vision and natural language processing to facilitate real-time interactions, for this study particularly while ordering a drink at a caf'e. The research involved two main experiments: the first with neurotypical participants (n=30) to assess usability, task load, and the perception of independence and the second with nonspeaking autistic individuals (n=3) to evaluate the system's effectiveness using feedback from the final intended user group. Findings indicated that higher usability of the system correlated with increased independence in communication, suggesting that AR technology can significantly improve the daily lives of nonspeaking users. This research highlights the potential of assistive technologies to empower marginalized groups, particularly those with communication challenges, and the need for individualized treatment plans.

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Keywords
Augmented Reality
Citation
Francis, M. (2025). Designing and evaluating augmented reality systems for supporting nonspeaking individuals in daily communication tasks (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.