Welcome to the July 2021 SIGCHI edition of ACM TechNews.

ACM TechNews - SIGCHI Edition is a sponsored special edition of the ACM TechNews news-briefing service focused on issues in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). This service serves as a resource for ACM-SIGCHI Members to keep abreast of the latest news in areas related to HCI and is distributed to all ACM SIGCHI members the first Tuesday of every month. ACM TechNews is a benefit of ACM membership and is distributed three times per week on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays to over 100,000 ACM members from over 100 countries around the world. ACM TechNews provides timely coverage of established and emerging areas of computer science, the latest trends in information technology, and related science, society, and technology news. For more information on ACM TechNews and joining the ACM, please click. The Interactions mobile app is available for free on iOS, Android, and Kindle platforms. Download it today and flip through the full-color magazine pages on your tablet or view it in a simplified low-bandwidth text mode on your phone. And be sure to check out the Interactions website, where you can access current and past articles and read the latest entries in our ever-expanding collection of blogs.

Technology Helps Disabled Student Play the Harp with Her Eyes
Reuters
Deborah Kyvrikosaios
June 17, 2021

Computer scientist and musician Zacharias Vamvakousis created the "Eyeharp" that allows Alexandra Kerlidou, who has cerebral palsy and cannot use her hands or speak, to play music using her eyes. The software uses digital eye-tracking technology, which executes commands by monitoring eye movements. With Eyeharp, the user's eye rests on the musical notes, which are spaced out on a wheel on the screen. It plays an average of three to four notes per second and is capable of playing 25 musical instruments. Vamvakousis said, "Without doing it digitally, this would never be possible, to play music in real time. It takes away the actual action of strumming a chord." The program has been downloaded by more than 2,000 people.

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Warehouse Operators Turn to Wearable Technology to Solve Workplace Strains
The Wall Street Journal
Jennifer Smith
June 29, 2021

Wearable robotic technology known as exosuits increasingly are being adopted by warehouse operators to address concerns about worker safety and health as online orders increase. These exosuits use sensors and algorithms to identify how workers move and assist them in lifting and loading. The exosuits weigh four to five pounds and strap on like a backpack. Workplace safety experts note that while promising, wearable devices are not a substitute for regular ergonomic training, time limits on strenuous tasks, and other methods to reduce injuries. University of Washington's Martin Cohen said it is important to "be aware of any repercussions or unintended consequences of using" these devices, such as whether they alter the way a person's muscles react when moving a particular way.

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Clickbait Headlines May Confuse AI
Pennsylvania State University News
Matt Swayne
June 18, 2021

A series of studies by Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), Michigan State University, and University of Maryland researchers found that readers are not as drawn to clickbait headlines as previously thought, and artificial intelligence may not be effective in identifying and blocking clickbait. In two studies in which participants were assigned to read different types of headlines to see whether they would read or share the story, clickbait headlines did not outperform traditional headlines. A third study of four machine learning models used to classify headlines as clickbait or not showed they were in agreement on clickbait classifications just under half the time. Penn State's S. Shyam Sundar said, "People were putting a lot of stock into using clickbait headlines as an element for fake news detection algorithms, but our studies are calling this assumption into question."

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AR Can Improve the Lives of Older Adults, So Why Are Apps Designed with Youngsters in Mind?
University of Bath (U.K.)
June 22, 2021

Researchers at the University of Bath and the U.K.-based charity Designability found that augmented reality (AR) application developers often do not consider the needs and preferences of older adults in their designs. The study revealed that adults aged 50 and older were better able to complete tasks via AR when prompted by a "ghosthand" instead of an arrow or common other visual aid. The researchers found that participants responded up to twice as fast and twice as accurately when prompted by a ghosthand to lift, move, lower, open, and close three-dimensional shapes on a foam board. Participants said the hand was more relatable and clearer than the other visual prompts. Bath's Thomas Williams said, "A lot more thought needs to go into understanding what older adults need from AR, so users in this group understand the prompts they're given straight away."

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Computer Science Researcher Creates Game to Teach Blockchain to Children
University of Texas at San Antonio
Pan McDermott; Milady Nazir
June 24, 2021

A computer scientist at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has developed a strategy-based card/board game to teach children about blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. The CryptoMiner game aims to demonstrate the addition of transaction blocks to a blockchain by miners in a cryptocurrency network. The goal of the game is to collect as many reward coins as possible, using the block cards to append new blocks to the blockchain and claiming the reward coins displayed on the transaction cards. UTSA's Murtuza Jadliwala created the game because "It can be difficult for young adults and people with insufficient background in computer science and distributed software systems to understand the dry and dense technical details of blockchains and cryptocurrencies."

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Emoji Join the COVID Fight
Bloomberg
Deirdre Hipwell; Angelica LaVito
June 24, 2021

U.K.-based artificial intelligence and computational linguistics startup Phrasee has joined the campaign against COVID by helping U.S. drugstore chain Walgreens eliminate "anxiety-inducing" emoji from customer emails about its vaccination program. Phrasee works with Walgreens on a wider basis to optimize, automate, and analyze language in its communications in real time to increase customer engagement. Egg-timers, praying hands, red alerts, ticking alarm clocks, and fist-pump icons are among the emoji identified by Phrasee as potentially upsetting. Since engaging with Phrasee, Walgreens said it has observed a 30% higher open rate of emails sent to customers, which likely implies more customers opened and read emails on available vaccine appointments and booked their dose than might have been anticipated.

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ML Enhances Non-Verbal Communication in Online Classrooms
UC San Diego News Center
Doug Ramsey
June 21, 2021

A new system developed by University of California, San Diego (UCSD) researchers can analyze and track eye movements to augment teaching in virtual classrooms. UCSD's Shlomo Dubnov and Ross Greer built the prototype system to use eye tracking and Machine Learning (ML) to make each student aware of when the teacher is focused on them. A camera captures the educator's eye movements to track their gaze; Greer said, "We divided the screen into 91 squares, and after determining the location of the teacher's face and eyes, we came up with a 'gaze-estimation' algorithm that provides the best estimate of which box—and therefore which student—the teacher is looking at." As the system detects a change in where the presenter is looking, the algorithm tags their name on the screen, so everyone is aware of where the educator is looking.

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Health and Socializing: Why People Use Mixed-Reality Sports Platforms
NC State University News
Matt Shipman
June 17, 2021

Researchers at North Carolina State University (NC State) and Germany's University of Munster explored the motivations underlying the use of mixed-reality sports platforms. The team surveyed 284 users of the Zwift platform—which lets cyclists race others remotely by mirroring their movements in a virtual version of real-world courses in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Surprisingly, users were not driven to participate by competing against others within the game space itself, but were more likely to be motivated by health consciousness, training for real-world races, socializing, and customizing and upgrading the gaming experience. The survey also found participants used Zwift less frequently if they harbored privacy concerns about the platform.

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Chatbots for Dementia Patients, Caregivers Need More Work
UC Riverside News
Holly Ober
June 15, 2021

An analysis of chatbots found the technology needs significantly more work before it can help dementia patients and their caregivers. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, the University of Alabama, and Florida International University analyzed 501 chatbot applications, ultimately testing six that met all their evaluation criteria. The apps generally focused on dementia epidemiology and symptoms, with less concentration on caregiving skills and activities. Three of the five chatbots designed to educate about dementia had a scope of knowledge and flexibility in interpreting data, and supported human-like engagement. Yet despite some appealing features, the researchers determined that none of the apps were likely effective providers of reliable, evidence-based information, and advice or emotional support.

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VR Therapy Plunges Patients Back into Trauma. Here Is Why Some Swear by It.
The New York Times
Dani Blum
June 3, 2021

Virtual reality (VR) technology increasingly is being used to treat post-traumatic stress syndrome, anxiety, and other disorders, as the technology improves and the cost of headsets declines. Many VR therapies are built on prolonged exposure, a cognitive intervention therapy that involves confronting triggers of a traumatic event in the real world. VR could be more convenient for some patients than real-world therapies, allowing them to be immersed in scenes that are difficult to replicate in real life and helping them understand that the images on the screen, while lifelike, are not real. Although there currently are few direct-to-consumer VR therapy products, there are concerns that people could try out a program as they become more widely available without consulting a therapist. University College London's Jonathan Rogers stressed that VR "may be part of the solution, but it's not going to make medications and formal therapies obsolete."

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Studies Show Promise Using Drones to Elicit Emotional Responses
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel)
June 2, 2021

The first studies probing humans' response to emotional facial expressions displayed by flying drones could potentially help make the machines more acceptable. The two studies involved researchers at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) using rendered robotic facial expressions on drones that communicate basic emotions. The faces applied four core features (eyes, eyebrows, pupils, and mouth), and people could recognize joy, sadness, fear, anger, and surprise with high accuracy in static images, and joy, surprise, sadness, and anger in dynamic videos. BGU's Jessica Cauchard said participants unexpectedly "created narratives around the drone's emotional states and included themselves in these scenarios." The researchers recommended adding anthropomorphic features, employing the five basic emotions, and applying empathetic responses to encourage compliance in health and behavior change uses.

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Apple Publishes List of Devices to Keep Away from Pacemakers
PC Magazine
Matthew Humphries
June 28, 2021

Apple has released a list of its products that contain magnets and other components that emit electromagnetic fields and should be kept away from pacemakers, defibrillators, and other medical devices. These include AirPods and charging cases; the Apple Watch, Apple Watch bands with magnets, and magnetic charging accessories; HomePod and HomePod mini smart speakers; iMac; iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro; iPhone 12 models; and MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The company indicated these products should be kept more than six inches (more than 12 inches if wirelessly charging) from medical devices to "avoid any potential interactions." Apple said it is “unlikely” any of its products containing magnets that are not on the list would interfere with medical devices.

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Smart Lamp That Watches Kids When They Study Is a Hit in China
The Wall Street Journal
Liza Lin
June 1, 2021

The newest educational craze in China is "smart homework lamps" introduced by Internet technology company ByteDance, which feature cameras that allow parents to monitor children while they study. The cameras deliver views of the children facing them directly and from overhead, while an attached screen uses artificial intelligence to guide children through math problems and difficult words. An upgraded model transmits alerts and photos to parents when their children slouch; parents also can hire tutors to remotely observe their children via the lamps. Beijing-based education tech entrepreneur Ted Chen said the smart lamp "is the first time we're seeing a mass-market, education-related surveillance product making it into the homes and bedrooms of Chinese children." ByteDance said concerns about privacy infringement are distorted, because remote monitoring is only activated with both parents and children's consent.

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