User Interface for Assisting Babies with Feeding Disorders

Infants double their weight in the first 4 months of life and triple it by the end of the first year. The transition from purely milk intake to solid foods is a key part of a baby´s development. Failure to adequately make this transition can severely affect a child´s long term development. Virtual reality offers a means of helping instruct parents in appropriate ways of feeding their child, in a safe and controlled manner. This paper is an experimental study, which deals with the evaluation of common input devices in terms of virtual reality application intended for parents of infants with feeding problems. The aim of the application is to give parents an alternative to gain experience with. The task is to measure users´ ability to manipulate with 3D object in VR environment and the survey to determine what advantages and disadvantages of each device users can see regarding the important characteristics of device for the task. A gamepad, a space navigator, a keyboard with mouse and a nunchuck with a Wii Remote were used for the purpose of this study. Description of the properties and capabilities of individual devices is provided as well as limitations based on a survey among the participants. This may in turn aid us in understanding how to use virtual applications for new parents who may be concerned about appropriate baby feeding.