The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $140,758 EAGER (Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research) Project Grant under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070) to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). The grant aims to explore the feasibility of using a teleoperated robotics framework to assist individuals with visual impairments, including blindness and low vision, in the workplace.
The key elements of the project include: 1) conducting surveys and interviews with visually impaired employees at the Austin Lighthouse organization to understand their challenges and needs, 2) designing and testing pilot studies that simulate telerobot-based tasks to identify optimal user interface designs and training methods, and 3) validating the findings through hands-on telerobot training sessions. The goal is to develop an intuitive telerobot system that can help visually impaired individuals gain independence and access technology-enabled jobs. No sub-awards are planned for this project, which has an anticipated completion date of September 30, 2025.
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