Abstract

Abstract
To enhance older citizen's practice of physical exercise, we present the architecture, development, and pilot testing of a multiuser online gymnasium based on Kinect motion capture and OpenSimulator, which aims to enable socialization and supervision of exercise practice without travel requirements. The prototype was tested simultaneously with 4 elders at different locations, providing data on the feasibility of the approach and informing subsequent development and research.

Abstract

Abstract
This paper presents an interactive video system that enables users to change the flow of video playback by interacting with hotspots that were predefined throughout the video streams. These hotspots are synchronized with the underlying video streams and the interactions result in smooth transitions between the preloaded targets. This approach allows the dynamic visualization of content by interacting with the hotspots and producing the consequent changes in the flow of the story. The system includes web-based and mobile video players specifically developed to deal with the interactive features, as well as a configuration tool that allows content managers to choose which pre-produced interaction possibilities will be used for a specific target audience. The interactive video solution presented herein has potential to be used as a powerful communication tool, in commercial, e-learning, accessibility and entertainment contexts. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.

Abstract
The general adoption of mobile devices and its wide network coverage made it possible to make emergency calls virtually everywhere, even in the absence of a valid contact. However, there is still generally the need for audio connection. This restriction is a problem for deaf people, but also for the elderly and people without disabilities who face sudden situations where speech is hard to articulate. In this context, this paper presents SOSPhone, a prototype of a mobile application that was developed to enable users to make emergency calls using an iconographic touch interface running in a touchscreen mobile device. The prototype implements the client-side of the application and was demonstrated and evaluated by a large number of users, including people without any disability, emergency services' professionals and deaf people. This paper describes the SOSPhone prototype and presents the results of the interface evaluation process, which is important to validate the main client-side interaction and architectural principles in order to proceed with the integration with each specific national emergency services' platform.

Abstract
eCall is a car system which automatically calls for help in case of a car accident. The system sends a minimum set of data containing information about the occurrence, such as the geographic location and the vehicle identification. Simultaneously, a 112-voice connection is established. Therefore, the operator at the Public-Safety Answering Point (PSAP) is able to hear what is happening in the vehicle and actually communicate with the occupant(s). However if the occupant(s)'s are deaf or has earing impairments he will not be able to describe the situation using the voice channel established. This paper proposes a solution for this problem extending the SOSPhone concept, developed for enabling universal access to emergency services. A prototype of an application integrated with the eCall that enables the communication with deaf people or earing impaired people is presented. The solution makes use of touch interfaces, embedding the emergency protocols in the user's device, gathering information with an iconographic interface. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.