Antti-Matti Vainio

Wireless, Multipurpose In-Home Health Monitoring Platform: Two Case Trials

We propose a general purpose home area sensor network and monitoring platform that is intended for e-Health applications, ranging from elderly monitoring to early homecoming after a hospitalization period. Our monitoring platform is multipurpose, meaning that the system is easily configurable for various user needs and is easy to set up. The system could be temporarily rented from a service company by, for example, hospitals, elderly service providers, specialized physiological rehabilitation centers, or individuals. Our system consists of a chosen set of sensors, a wireless sensor network, a home client, and a distant server. We evaluated our concept in two initial trials: one with an elderly woman living in sheltered housing, and the other with a hip surgery patient during his rehabilitation phase. The results prove the functionality of the platform. However, efficient utilization of such platforms requires further work on the actual e-Health service concepts.

Learning and adaptive fuzzy control system for smart home

Automated smart homes have widely established their position as a research field during the last decade. More and more context sensitive concepts are being studied and at the same time proactivity has broken through in ambient intelligence research. Technology has advanced towards an adaptive and autonomous home, which can take care of the inhabitants’ well-being in numerous ways.

UUTE Home Network for Wireless Health Monitoring

This paper presents a home sensor network for wireless health monitoring, including a wireless sensor network, client for controlling the sensor network, and a data storage server. A common software and hardware microcontroller-sensor interface was defined to enable joint use of sensor technologies developed in three different projects. IEEE 802.15.4 RF-transceiver based radio-boards and ZigBee network software were designed and built, along with a simple sensor network software on top of the ZigBee stack, to implement the wireless sensor network. Both commercial and custom made sensors have been interfaced to the sensor network. A set-up consisting of four sensors was developed and tested in a real home environment. The architectural overview of the system and main technical design choices are presented.

Proactive and adaptive fuzzy profile control for mobile phones

In this paper we describe a context-sensitive way to change an active mobile phone profile. We present a method to create a proactive and adaptive phone profile control system that automatically adapts the profile to the best alternative based on the current context. The adaptation is based on recognizing patterns of human practices, which may change over time. The control system is implemented with a fuzzy controller that supports reinforcement learning. The operation of the system is demonstrated with a mobile phone that is controlled by a PC. The PC lets a user to simulate the context parameters, and the phone works as a user interface for profile selection and display.

Utilization of wireless sensor network for health monitoring in home environment

The health care costs in developed countries are increasing fast due to the aging of the population. In-home monitoring of health is becoming more and more attractive both because of expected cost-savings and technical development of suitable measurement devices and wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we present on-going work about embedding health monitoring devices into ordinary homes. The developed system is targeted both for monitoring elderly and for monitoring rehabilitation after hospitalization period. The paper presents the utilized sensor network implementation, chosen set of sensors for the first test trial, as well as other design choices for the trial. In addition, further objectives about concentrating on one special case, the ubiquitous heart rate measurement, are discussed. Our objective is to install several non-contact heart rate monitors into a home environment. The designed system performed well during the trial. However, some issues, such as sensor addressing in WSN and user identification, will be better taken into account in the next trials.

User interface for social networking application for the elderly

Elderly people with no or limited skills of using computers are in risk of social isolation as social life moves to the Internet. This paper describes the design process and implementation of a user interface and device for the elderly for a social networking application. The idea is that people with no previous experience on using computers are able to use the device immediately and that the device is not considered to be a computer. An iterative and user-centred design process is used to ensure that all the needs and views from the users are taken into account. The user interface and the device have been tested in long lasting field trials and the results are presented in this paper. Based on the results the implemented device seems to qualify the needs of elder users.

Building a Client-Server Social Network Application for Elders and Safety Net

Social inclusion is one of the major challenges for the elderly living alone. An active social life is connected in many ways to both mental and physical well-being. As the online social networks are getting more common in peoples social lives, there is therefore a growing need for social applications that are designed for the elderly. In this paper we present design and implementation of the AMCOSOP system that enables the elderly to stay connected with their families, friends and safety network even though they are living by themselves. Consisting of a touchscreen user interface and web-based solutions, the AMCOSOP system was used in field trials in two countries for several months.

Continuous-time fuzzy control and learning methods

This paper presents a novel approach to continuous-time control and learning methods used in home control systems. The approach is based on a context-aware fuzzy controlled intelligent environment. We propose continuous-time control and stepwise learning methods that allow the home to adapt to the user routines unobtrusively and smoothly. The adaptation is based on recognizing patterns of human practices, which may change over time. The new methods were applied to a fuzzy controlled lighting system and test results were obtained.

AMCOSOP: a social networking system for the elderly

Aging people are in risk of social isolation due to direct or indirect effects of aging. Social isolation decreases the quality of life, health and acts against independent living, which is important for both the elderly people and society. Social networking can provide elders a sense of presence with their relatives, friends and healthcare personnel which counteract the effects aging causes to their social connections. In this research a special social networking system is designed and provided for the elderly to answer their communication needs. To collect information on the achieved benefits of the system, a selected group of elders will use the system in their everyday lives in field trials for several months.

Ambient communication and sense of presence device

The number of elderly people is increasing rapidly both in absolute numbers and in relation to younger population. It is the benefit for both the elders and the communities that elderly people continue to live in their own homes as long as possible. Therefore technology should be used to help the elders in their homes. As loneliness and social isolation have negative impact on the health and happiness of the older population, ambient devices and social networking may be used to help the elderly connect with their friends and families. In this paper we will demonstrate our solution, the Amcosop system, which will help elders feel safe and keep connected with their nearest and dearest.