This project will examine the needs of older persons for improvements in the interface designs of hand-held control units for remotely controlling equipment and software, especially telerobots. These Remote Control Units (RCUs), now proliferating without adequate human factors engineering, will be used increasingly by seniors in their homes and at work. The only study of RCUs indicates that their operation presents difficulties that could be still greater for those with sensory, cognitive, and musculoskeletal changes accompanying aging.A variety of such devices including those for VCRs will be analyzed for human factors deficiencies in interface design. Their manufacturers will be queried as well as persons in contact with seniors using RCUs and computers. Older individuals can offer their experiences through the SeniorNet electronic mail and forum. Others will be observed operating RCUs. The information acquired will enable HumRRO International, Inc. (HII) in Phase II to create better designs and test these with older users, who can then make better use of new technology.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of the research:The improved designs will keep the interface devices abreast of the telerobotic equipment and software that older users will operate. HII can produce its own RCUs or advise RCU manufacturers on the human factors in their design.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
