Renata Gomes

Dec 10, 2024 | nature.com | Robert Quinn |Renata Gomes |Henry de Winton |Jonathan De Sousa |Sebastiano Zane |Brandon Ellis-Frew | +3 more

Individuals with visual impairment (VI) require aids such as white canes and guide dogs to navigate their environments. Modern localisation technologies have the capacity to transform the way individuals with VI navigate surroundings, but they have yet to do so. A critical barrier is the inability of human–machine interfaces to communicate precise navigation instructions non-visually. We present a shape changing haptic interface (Shape) that provides spatial guidance in two dimensions via bending of its body. Individuals with VI and sighted individuals were recruited to locate virtual targets in 3D space using Shape and vibration feedback (Vibration), and sighted individuals were also asked to visually locate targets. Throughout, device orientation and position were tracked in real-time using a virtual reality system. Individuals with VI located targets significantly faster and more efficiently using Shape, than with Vibration, and there were no significant differences in time or efficiency between Shape and natural vision. Moreover, participants scored Shape significantly more positively than Vibration in a Likert user experience survey, while no significant differences were observed between Shape and natural vision. Here, we provide compelling evidence for the application of a new shape-changing haptic interface as part of an effective future digital navigation system for individuals with VI.

Dec 6, 2024 | medium.com | Renata Gomes

And wondering where we’re going from here. Renata Ellera Gomes·FollowPublished inPublishous·4 min read·--Photo by Ben White on UnsplashI was on the first few pages of Far from the Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy, when a smile graced my lips and a thought crossed my mind, “I’ll never get over how good this book is.”It was followed by another thought, which wiped away the smile, replacing it with a frown, “I’m reading this in the age of AI.”Could a computer program recreate Hardy’s style?

Dec 6, 2024 | medium.com | Renata Gomes

For the rest of our lives. Renata Ellera Gomes·FollowPublished inHeart Affairs·4 min read·--Photo by Thom Holmes on UnsplashNowadays, love starts with a literal heart or — if you’re feeling bold — a fire emoji. But love doesn’t always end in flames. More often than not, it ends in silence, and a passive-aggressive watchful eye that Instagram users know too well. Screenshot from Instagram, by author. First dates that would never be moreI opened the door to his car and sat down.

Dec 5, 2024 | medium.com | Renata Gomes

THE WIND PHONEBut isn’t that how it always goes? Renata Ellera Gomes·FollowPublished inThe Wind Phone·5 min read·--Photo by Dominik Lange on UnsplashNo matter how ill you know someone is or how frail they looked when you visited them last, that out-of-the-blue phone call never fails to steal the ground from under your feet. “I thought she had more time,” you think. And then you realize, selfishly, that you thought you had more time. To let her know you love her. To say goodbye.

Dec 5, 2024 | medium.com | Renata Gomes

Real resilience doesn’t come from emotional neglect. Renata Ellera Gomes·FollowPublished inInvisible Illness·7 min read·--Photo by Charlein Gracia on UnsplashStudying clinical psychology, this year I took a practical internship in Educational Psychology, working with children between the ages of seven and twelve at an after-school program.