Explore the vast range of titles available.

To become more broadly applicable, positions on AI ethics require perspectives from non-Western regions and cultures such as China and Japan. In this paper, we propose that the addition of the concept of harmony to the discussion on ethical AI would be highly beneficial due to its centrality in East Asian cultures and its applicability to the challenge of designing AI for social good. We first present a synopsis of different definitions of harmony in multiple contexts, such as music and society, which reveals that the concept is, at its core, about well-balanced relationships and appropriate actions which give rise to order, balance, and aesthetically pleasing phenomena. The mediator for these well-balanced relationships is Takt which is an ability to act thoughtfully and sensibly according to the specific situation and to put things into proportion and order. We propose that the central challenge of building harmonizing AI is to make intelligent systems tactful and also to design and use them tactfully. For an AI system to become tactful, it needs to be able to have an advanced sensitivity to the specific contexts which it is in and their social and ethical implications and have the capability of approximately inferring the emotional and cognitive states of people with whom it is interacting.

Digital Voice Assistants (DVAs) have become a ubiquitous technology in today’s home and childhood environments. Inspired by (Bernstein and Crowley, J Learn Sci 17:225–247, 2008) original study ( n  = 60, age 4–7 years) on how children’s ontological conceptualizations of life and technology were systematically associated with their real-world exposure to robotic entities, the current study explored this association for children in their middle childhood ( n  = 143, age 7–11 years) and with different levels of DVA-exposure. We analyzed correlational survey data from 143 parent–child dyads who were recruited on ‘Amazon Mechanical Turk’ (MTurk). Children’s ontological conceptualization patterns of life and technology were measured by asking them to conceptualize nine prototypical organically living and technological entities (e.g., humans, cats, smartphones, DVAs) with respect to their biology, intelligence, and psychology. Their ontological conceptualization patterns were then associated with their DVA-exposure and additional control variables (e.g., children’s technological affinity, demographic/individual characteristics). Compared to biology and psychology, intelligence was a less differentiating factor for children to differentiate between organically living and technological entities. This differentiation pattern became more pronounced with technological affinity. There was some evidence that children with higher DVA-exposure differentiated more rigorously between organically living and technological entities on the basis of psychology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study exploring children’s real-world exposure to DVAs and how it is associated with their conceptual understandings of life and technology. Findings suggest although psychological conceptualizations of technology may become more pronounced with DVA-exposure, it is far from clear such tendencies blur ontological boundaries between life and technology from children’s perspective.

Human interaction with computers and other machines is becoming an increasingly important and relevant topic in the modern world. Hand gesture recognition technology is an innovative approach to managing computers and electronic devices that allows users to interact with technology through gestures and hand movements. This article presents deep learning methods that allow you to efficiently process and classify hand gestures and hand gesture recognition technologies for interacting with computers. This paper discusses modern deep learning methods such as convolutional neural networks (CNN) and recurrent neural networks (RNN), which show excellent results in gesture recognition tasks. Next, the development and implementation of a human-machine interaction system based on hand gesture recognition is discussed. System architectures are described, as well as technical and practical aspects of their application. In conclusion, the article summarizes the research results and outlines the prospects for the development of hand gesture recognition technology to improve human-machine interaction. The advantages and limitations of the technology are analyzed, as well as possible areas of its application in the future.

The evolution of digital technologies has resulted in the emergence of diverse interaction technologies. In this paper, we conducted a review of seven domains under a human-centric approach user interface design, human-centered web-based information systems, semantic knowledge representation, X-reality applications, human motion and 3D digitization, serious games, and AI. In this review, we studied these domains concerning their impact on the way we interact with digital interfaces, process information, and engage in immersive experiences. As such, we highlighted the shifts in design paradigms, user-centered principles, and the rise of web-based information systems. The results of such shifts are materialized in modern immersive technologies, semantic knowledge representation, serious games, and the facilitation of artificial intelligence for interactions. Through this exploration, we aimed to assist our understanding of the challenges that lie ahead. The seamless integration of technologies, ethical considerations, accessibility, education for technological literacy, interoperability, user trust, environmental sustainability, and regulatory frameworks are becoming significant. These challenges present opportunities for the future to enrich human experiences while addressing societal needs. This paper lays the groundwork for thoughtful and innovative approaches to the challenges that will define the future of human–computer interaction and information technologies.

Ongoing developments in educational technologies place increasing demands on teachers who have to make decisions on a daily basis concerning how, when, and where to make use of technologies in classrooms. Building on results from the Danish project Technucation, this paper argues that there is a marked need for a teacher-specific version of the technological literacy developed by the International Technology Education Association (ITEA). ITEA defines technological literacy as the ability to 'use, manage, assess, and understand technology'. The Technucation project found that teachers were not simply in need of knowledge about how to manage technical challenges, they would also benefit from awareness of how new technologies change relations, identities, and complex power structures. The paper explicitly addresses this issue of the new skills and analytic capabilities that teachers need in order to engage effectively with technological development. The type of enhanced technological literacy teachers may benefit from is represented in the paper through its presentation of the TECS-model, developed in the course of the Technucation project: hands-on skills in handling Technology (T); capability to analyse changes in Engaged relationships (E); capability to analyse Complex power-informed pathways (C); and capability to analyse long-term Shifts in professional identities (S). The paper argues that attention to all of these areas should be included in the education of technological literacy to pre-service teachers.

Wearable human machine interfaces (HMI) such as smart gloves have attracted considerable interest in recent years. The quality of the interactive experience with the real and virtual world using wearable HMI technologies depends on the intuitive two‐way haptic interfaces they offer and the real‐time touch‐based information they send and receive. Herein, various smart glove solutions and their application in interaction, rehabilitation, virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tasks are reviewed. While the early variants of such systems were based on commercial touch sensors and displays integrated (e.g., stitched) on wearables, electronic skin (e‐skin)‐type technologies with multifunctional capabilities are being explored nowadays for rich user experience and comfort. In this regard, instead of using separate touch sensors and actuators, miniaturized integrated devices providing both touch sensing and vibrotactile actuation have also been reported recently. Such advances, the associated challenges, and the advantages they offer for users to enjoy the full characteristic benefits of VR/ARs for interaction, immersion, and imagination are discussed. Finally, the huge potential the smart‐glove‐type solutions hold for advances in various application areas such as robotics, health care, sensorial augmentation for nondisabled and tactile Internet is also discussed. Herein, various smart glove solutions and their application in interaction, rehabilitation, virtual (VR)/augmented reality (AR), and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tasks are reviewed. While the early variants of such systems were based on commercial touch sensors and displays integrated (e.g., stitched) on wearables, the electronic skin (e‐skin)‐type technologies with multifunctional capabilities are being explored nowadays for rich user experience.

The COVID‐19 pandemic underscored the critical role of social interaction technologies (SITs) in mitigating loneliness and social isolation, particularly among older adults. However, challenges such as the digital divide, physical and cognitive declines, and digital literacy gaps persist. This article seeks to explore the drivers, drawbacks, and prospects of SITs’ adoption during the pandemic. The paper employs a narrative review approach, using targeted phrases and keywords, including “COVID‐19 pandemic and digital engagement,” “digital technologies usage among older adults/people during COVID‐19,” and “drivers of digital technologies adoption among older adults/people during COVID‐19.” Articles were retrieved through Google Scholar searches conducted between October 2023 and December 2024. In line with key findings, we propose evidence‐based recommendations, including user‐centered digital communication technology design, the need to balance digital engagement with healthy physical activity, and personalized digital literacy programs, to enhance SITs’ accessibility and usability for older adults.

Sustainable smart cities (SSCs) target decarbonisation by optimising energy consumption through the emerging capabilities of technology. Nevertheless, the energy consumption behaviour of end users has the potential to compromise the effectiveness of technological interventions, reflecting the importance of active social engagement in realising decarbonisation goals. Although extensive research exists on energy consumption behaviour, little is known about how technology engagement affects it, the nature of these technologies, and their role in SSC. The paper aims to identify, categorise, and investigate the smart technologies that impact household energy consumption behaviours and their integration into the larger SSC system. Following a systematic review of 60 articles from the Scopus database (2013–2023), the study found 45 smart technologies cited, with 49% affecting efficiency behaviour and 51% affecting curtailment behaviour. While these technologies inform the city administration level in the SSC framework, the role of end users remains unclear, suggesting a technocratic approach. The study proposes the Sustainable Smart City Network to facilitate a grassroots approach, identifying five key domains: government policies, smart technology adoption, smart technology engagement, smart city infrastructure, and urban sustainability. The study provides an original contribution to knowledge by unveiling the key technologies affecting energy consumption behaviour and outlining the pragmatic requirements for achieving decarbonisation through a grassroots approach.