Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities
Social integration is an essential part of the life of every human being, but for people with disabilities, there are many situations in which it is still very low. For instance, in sports and outdoor gaming, there is a barrier between players with and without disabilities. Individuals with disabili...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-06-01
|
| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/11/6813 |
| _version_ | 1797597822650941440 |
|---|---|
| author | Massimiliano Donati Federico Pacini Luca Baldanzi Mauro Turturici Luca Fanucci |
| author_facet | Massimiliano Donati Federico Pacini Luca Baldanzi Mauro Turturici Luca Fanucci |
| author_sort | Massimiliano Donati |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Social integration is an essential part of the life of every human being, but for people with disabilities, there are many situations in which it is still very low. For instance, in sports and outdoor gaming, there is a barrier between players with and without disabilities. Individuals with disabilities play sports almost exclusively with disabled players, not only during official events such as Paralympic games but also in occasional sports groups, while the mixing of people with and without disabilities in sports activities is a key factor of social inclusion. In order to allow a person with motor-skill impairments to play on the same ground as their non-disabled peers, we developed a novel piece of Assistive Technology that lets a person with motor-skill impairments to control a system acting as a goalkeeper during a non-professional football match, with approximately the same performances as a goalkeeper without motor-skill impairments. This electro-mechanical system is composed of a three-meter-long metal guideline and a human-shaped dummy sliding along it. The system is equipped with a high-torque battery-powered direct-current motor and it is controlled by means of electronic boards and sensors to ensure safety and good usability also for players with severe mobility impairments. The results of a pilot testing demonstrated the robustness and high degree of usability of the system, enabling people with motor-skill impairments to competitively participate in matches with non-disabled peers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:10:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c5f3d18d5eb84156b6a8d60ea54a4c51 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:10:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-c5f3d18d5eb84156b6a8d60ea54a4c512023-11-18T07:37:09ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-06-011311681310.3390/app13116813Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without DisabilitiesMassimiliano Donati0Federico Pacini1Luca Baldanzi2Mauro Turturici3Luca Fanucci4Deptarment of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, ItalyDeptarment of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, ItalyDeptarment of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, ItalyDeptarment of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, ItalyDeptarment of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, 56122 Pisa, ItalySocial integration is an essential part of the life of every human being, but for people with disabilities, there are many situations in which it is still very low. For instance, in sports and outdoor gaming, there is a barrier between players with and without disabilities. Individuals with disabilities play sports almost exclusively with disabled players, not only during official events such as Paralympic games but also in occasional sports groups, while the mixing of people with and without disabilities in sports activities is a key factor of social inclusion. In order to allow a person with motor-skill impairments to play on the same ground as their non-disabled peers, we developed a novel piece of Assistive Technology that lets a person with motor-skill impairments to control a system acting as a goalkeeper during a non-professional football match, with approximately the same performances as a goalkeeper without motor-skill impairments. This electro-mechanical system is composed of a three-meter-long metal guideline and a human-shaped dummy sliding along it. The system is equipped with a high-torque battery-powered direct-current motor and it is controlled by means of electronic boards and sensors to ensure safety and good usability also for players with severe mobility impairments. The results of a pilot testing demonstrated the robustness and high degree of usability of the system, enabling people with motor-skill impairments to competitively participate in matches with non-disabled peers.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/11/6813assistive technologiesdisabilitymotor impairmentsfootballgoalkeepergame |
| spellingShingle | Massimiliano Donati Federico Pacini Luca Baldanzi Mauro Turturici Luca Fanucci Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities Applied Sciences assistive technologies disability motor impairments football goalkeeper game |
| title | Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities |
| title_full | Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities |
| title_fullStr | Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities |
| title_short | Remotely Controlled Electronic Goalkeeper: An Example of Improving Social Integration of Persons with and without Disabilities |
| title_sort | remotely controlled electronic goalkeeper an example of improving social integration of persons with and without disabilities |
| topic | assistive technologies disability motor impairments football goalkeeper game |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/11/6813 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT massimilianodonati remotelycontrolledelectronicgoalkeeperanexampleofimprovingsocialintegrationofpersonswithandwithoutdisabilities AT federicopacini remotelycontrolledelectronicgoalkeeperanexampleofimprovingsocialintegrationofpersonswithandwithoutdisabilities AT lucabaldanzi remotelycontrolledelectronicgoalkeeperanexampleofimprovingsocialintegrationofpersonswithandwithoutdisabilities AT mauroturturici remotelycontrolledelectronicgoalkeeperanexampleofimprovingsocialintegrationofpersonswithandwithoutdisabilities AT lucafanucci remotelycontrolledelectronicgoalkeeperanexampleofimprovingsocialintegrationofpersonswithandwithoutdisabilities |