Supporting wayfinding behavior in shuttle run activities by floor projected pacemakers in a special-needs school gymnasium

This study aims to enhance the wayfinding behavior of adolescents with intellec- tual disability (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), during shuttle run tests by utilizing floor-projected pacemakers to guide their movements. This innovative approach was implemented in FUTUREGYM, a collection of spatial augmented reality technologies installed in a special-needs school gymnasium. The shuttle run test measures endurance levels to address obesity and pro- mote physical activity. However, students with ID and/or ASD often encounter difficulties owing to cognitive challenges required for the test, as it involves spatiotemporal coordinated movements, such as understanding rules and pro- cedures, adjusting the standing position, and making decisions to navigate the space effectively. Two types of floor-projected pacemakers were proposed : a simple pacemaker ( PM ) which operates at an ideal speed and trajectory, and an interactive pacemaker ( i-PM ) which draws a green circle around the PM based on the individual’s proximity from the PM . This study involves observing be- havioral changes in adolescents with ID and/or ASD during the shuttle run test with and without pacemakers. The effectiveness of the designed pacemakers as wayfinding aids for conducting shuttle run tests was investigated, focusing on factors, such as distance to the pacemakers, running pace, and shuttle run test scores. The results demonstrate that PM significantly enhances the wayfinding behavior of high school students, while i-PM outperforms the PM in supporting the wayfinding behavior of junior high school students. This study underscores the importance of providing tailored support to enhance performance in physical activities for individuals with cognitive limitations. • PM significantly improves high school students’ wayfinding behavior. • i-PM outperforms PM in supporting junior high school students’ wayfinding behavior. • Tailored support enhances performance in physical activities for students with ID/ASD.