John Brandes

Independent mobility is crucial for social participation and quality of life in later life, especially in rural areas where public transport is limited. Light electric vehicles (LEVs) may offer a promisingalternativefor everyday mobility; however, it remains unclear which features and contextual conditions are necessary for their usability and acceptance among older adults in their rural settings. As an initial exploratory step within the LeiFlex project, this mixed-methods design study aimed to assess feasibility and generate preliminary insights for further development. A user-centred study was conducted with 20 participants (≥ 60 years) in rural Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Participants completed supervised test drives with a commercially available LEV, followed by standardized usability and acceptance questionnaires (System Usability Scale, Technology Usage Inventory) and semi-structured focusgroup discussions. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis and complemented by descriptive quantitative results. Overall, attitudes towards LEVs were positive, although usability was rated as marginal (SUS _mean = 53.0). Key requirements included intuitive braking logic, clear visual and acoustic feedback in safety-critical situations, ergonomic adjustability, and perceived safety. Gender differences were observed. Women reported lower usability and were more sceptical, despite having a similar intention to use. The findings suggest that acceptance of LEVs among older adults is shaped not only by modifiable usability and design characteristics, but also the conditions in which these vehicles are used. These preliminary results highlight the need for flexible, modular, and age-appropriate LEV concepts and provide a basis for further investigation in larger and more comprehensive studies.

Background: Augmented reality (AR)-based systems offer novel opportunities for digital support in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. This is especially relevant in the context of an aging population and the growing shortage of healthcare professionals. Methods: This study employed a user-centered design with iterative prototype refinement and investigated the perceived usability and user acceptance of a prototype AR-based sports therapy system (“STAR”), developed within an ongoing interdisciplinary research project, from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals across one iteration cycle. After an initial needs analysis (T0), participants interacted in an observer role with the system at two time points (T1, T2) using an AR headset (Microsoft HoloLens 2). They did not perform exercises but only interacted with the application by navigating through the system and viewing the exercise demonstrations. Between T1 and T2, a tutorial was integrated, exercise animations and voiceovers were revised, and voiceover controls and navigation were optimized. Usability was measured using the System Usability Scale (SUS), and user acceptance via the Technology Usage Inventory (TUI). Results: A total of 15 participants (10 patients and 5 therapists) completed both testing sessions. The average SUS score across both patients and therapists improved from 54.5 (SD = 18.8) to 71.2 (SD = 13.1), reflecting a statistically significant increase in perceived usability (p < 0.001). The usability rating improved from “ok” to “good” according to the SUS interpretation scale. The TUI subscales skepticism, immersion, accessibility and usability improved significantly, while interest, usefulness and intention-to-use only showed trend-level changes. Conclusions: The findings suggest that a user-centered development process can enhance the perceived usability and user acceptance of AR- based virtual care tools during the prototype stage by providing early-stage empirical evidence linking specific user-centered design interventions to changes in Technology Acceptance Model-related acceptance constructs.

Augmented reality (AR)-based systems offer novel opportunities for digital support in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. This is especially relevant in the context of an aging population and the growing shortage of healthcare professionals. This study employed a user-centered design with iterative prototype refinement and investigated the perceived usability and user acceptance of a prototype AR-based exercise therapy system (“STAR”) from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals across one iteration cycle. Participants interacted with the system at two time points (T1, T2) using an AR headset. Usability was measured using the System Usability Scale (SUS), user acceptance via the Technology Usage Inventory (TUI). A total of 15 participants (10 patients, 5 therapists) completed both testing sessions. The average SUS score improved from 54.5 (SD = 17.2) to 71.2 (SD = 16.1), reflecting a small but statistically significant increase in perceived usability (p < .001). The usability rating improved from “ok” to “good” according to the established SUS interpretation scale. On average there were improvements in scores for all scales of the TUI questionnaire. The findings suggest that a user-centered development process can substantially enhance the perceived usability of AR systems, particularly among target populations with limited prior exposure to digital technologies.

Background: Oral health (OH) seems to be relevant for the number of sick and injured days (NSID), missing matches (MM) and secondarily for the physical performance (PP). Aim: The objective was to clarify possible associations between OH, NSID, and PP for elite soccer players. Methods: Thirty-nine male athletes (age: 24.6 ± 4.2 years, age range: 17–34 years) from a third league professional soccer team were examined concerning several dental parameters (decayed, missing, and filled teeth, DMFT; periodontal screening index, PSI; approximal plaque index, API; papillary bleeding index, PBI) and PP parameters. The PP diagnostic contains grip strength, posturography, jump and sprint tests, and an endurance test on treadmill. Furthermore, the number of sick and injured days and missing matches was collected and assessed over four seasons. Results: We could not find any relevant (r > 0.7) correlations between sick and injured days or missing matches and variables of different dimensions (OH, PP). The soccer players showed a remarkable level of oral health (missing teeth, MT: 0.18 ± 0.56), jumping performance (44.5 ± 5.42 cm), and grip strength (53.7 ± 7.02 kg). The endurance capacity (velocity at 4 mmol/L lactate threshold, v4: 14.9 ± 1.11 km/h) was on an average level, whereas the levels of postural stability (stability indicator, ST: 20.0 ± 4.55) and sprinting performance (10 m sprint: 1.79 ± 0.09 s) were comparatively low. Only five players (13%) reported that oral health had ever had a negative impact on his physical performance. Two players (5%) reported currently tooth pain and six players (15%) bleeding gums or grinding teeth. Conclusions: Based on the high level of dental health, it was difficult to prove any relationships between OH and the NSID/MM or PP. Nevertheless, it seems that young soccer players benefit particularly from improved oral health programs. The excellent dental care appears to have a positive effect on general health and physical performance in soccer.