A novel multisensory device for the assessment and rehabilitation of perceptual and attentional competencies

Introduction

This database includes the raw data linked with the paper “ A novel multisensory device for the assessment and rehabilitation of perceptual and attentional competencies” accepted as a full-paper contribution to the 45th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. In this paper we assess a novel technological device suitable for investigating perceptual and attentional competencies in people with or without sensory impairment. The TechPAD is a cabled system including embedded sensors and actuators to enable visual, auditory, and tactile interactions and a capacitive surface receiving inputs from the user, conceived to create multisensory environments, using multiple units controlled separately and simultaneously. Data deriving from the experimental paradigm are collected in the first sheet and encoded in the second sheet.

Methods

We adapted a spatial attention task comparing performances in different cognitive load conditions (high or low) and stimulation (unimodal, bimodal, or trimodal). 28 sighted adults were asked to monitor both the central and peripheral parts of the device and to tap a target stimulus (either visual, auditory, haptic, or multimodal) as fast as they could.

Results (in brief)

Our results suggest that this new device can provide congruent and incongruent multimodal stimuli and quantitatively measure parameters such as reaction time and accuracy, allowing to investigate perceptual mechanisms in multisensory environments.  The TechPad is a reliable tool for the assessment of spatial attention during interactive tasks. its application in clinical trials will pave the way to its role in multisensory rehabilitation.