%0 Journal Article %A Ned T. Sahin %A Neha U. Keshav %A Joseph P. Salisbury %A Arshya Vahabzadeh %T An Augmented Reality Social Communication Aid for Children and Adults with Autism: User and caregiver report of safety and lack of negative effects %D 2017 %R 10.1101/164335 %J bioRxiv %P 164335 %X Background Interest has been growing in the use of augmented reality (AR) based social communication interventions in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), yet little is known about their safety or negative effects, particularly in head-worn digital smartglasses. Research to understand the safety of smartglasses in people with ASD is crucial given that these individuals may have altered sensory sensitivity, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, and may experience extreme distress in response to changes in routine or environment.Objective The objective of this report was to assess the safety and negative effects of the Brain Power Autism System (BPAS), a novel AR smartglasses-based social communication aid for children and adults with ASD. BPAS uses emotion-based artificial intelligence and a smartglasses hardware platform that keeps users engaged in the social world by encouraging “heads-up” interaction, unlike tablet- or phone-based apps.Methods A sequential series of 18 children and adults (mean age 12.2-years-old, range 4.4-21.5-years-old) with clinically diagnosed ASD were given the opportunity to use BPAS to learn emotion recognition, face-directed gaze, and managing transitions. Users and caregivers were interviewed about perceived negative effects of using BPAS, and had an opportunity to highlight any hardware or software design issues.Results The majority of users were able to wear and use BPAS (n=16, 89%). Caregivers reported no perceived negative effects in users during or after use of BPAS. Two users reported temporary negative effects: eye strain, dizziness, and nasal discomfort due to the smartglasses nose stabilizers. Most users and caregivers did not have any design concerns regarding the smartglasses hardware or software (users 77.8%, caregivers 88.9%). The only reported design concern was that the smartglasses became warm to the touch during extended use.Conclusions It is important to conduct research to understand the feasibility and safety associated with new emerging technologies for vulnerable populations such as ASD. This report found no significant negative effects in using an AR smartglasses based social communication aid across a wide age range of children and adults with ASD. Further research is needed to explore the efficacy and longer-term effects of such novel interventions. %U https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2017/07/21/164335.full.pdf