Artur Krukowski

RFID-based positioning for building management systems

The paper presents the work on RFID-based user positioning and equipment localization for use in the Building management Systems, pursued by Intracom Telecom (ICOM) in the frame of the FP6 project I3CON. This work involves the development of integrated user interfaces allowing location and context aware operation of the mobile system including methods and tools for their implementation for Building Service Operation (BSO) applications. The RFID positioning is integrated into a Generic Object Browser (GOB) allowing access to building automation objects in realtime as well as static building database objects and properties using standard data communication protocols from a range of fixed and mobile terminals. Multimodal user interfaces were developed to allow hands-free intuitive operation of a mobile system with little need for manual operation and control.

Virtual Reality Gaming with Immersive User Interfaces

Stroke is one of most common diseases of our modern societies with high socio-economic impact. Hence, rehabilitation approach involving patients in their rehabilitation process while lowering costly involvement of specialised human personnel is needed. This chapter describes a novel approach, offering an integrated rehabilitation training for stroke patients using a serious gaming approach based on a Unity3D virtual reality engine combined with a range of advanced technologies and immersive user interfaces. It puts patients and caretakers in control of the rehabilitation protocols, while leading physicians are enabled to supervise the progress of the rehabilitation via Personal Health Record. Possibility to perform training in a familiar home environment directly improves the effectiveness and compliance in performing personal rehabilitation.

Modern Stroke Rehabilitation through e-Health-based Entertainment

This book describes a new, e-Health approach to stroke rehabilitation. The authors propose an alternative approach that combines state of the art ICT technologies ranging from Augmented and Virtual Reality gaming environments to latest advances in immersive user interfaces for delivering a mixed-reality training platform, along with advanced embedded micro sensing and computing devices exhibiting enhanced power autonomy by using the latest Bluetooth Smart communication interfaces and energy saving approaches. These technologies are integrated under the umbrella of an online Personal Health Record (PHR) services allowing for delivery of personalized, patient-centric medical services whether at home, in a clinic or on the move. Describes innovative ways for achieving mixed-reality gaming environments; Enhances immersive experience by combining virtual projections with user interfaces based on body motion analysis; Offers cost-effective body motion capture by hybridizing wearable sensor data; Utilizes energy-efficient micro-embedded sensors for wearable physiological and sensing and activity monitoring applications; Includes innovative, power autonomous sensing using Body Area Networks; Describes the prototype of the portable, integrated rehabilitation training solution.

Evaluations with Patients and Lessons Learned

A set of exercises for different stages of stroke recovery has been collected and combined with the analysis of relevant literature and our practical clinical knowledge. This allowed for more reliable clinical testing of relevant exercises in a telerehabilitation setting, supported by teleconferencing. Based on the results of these efforts, we defined basic principles for treatment of the upper limb using preferred distal movements and evidence-based therapeutic methods of treatment. We developed a set of concrete rehabilitation exercises, focusing on motor function training including bimanual activities, coordination, reach, grasp and dexterity tasks. According to the results of discussing selected exercises and technical capabilities, we modified the rehabilitation exercises and present the final selection in this chapter.

Personal Health Record

This chapter focusses on the introduction of the Electronic (EHR) and Personal Health Records (PHR) as new technological approaches aimed at standardising electronic management of medical information between the patient and its physicians, as well as among medical organisations collaborating in providing integrated medical care services. It presents combined experiences in developing e-Health platforms and services with respect of supporting medical research into the causes and relationships among physiological parameters and health problems concerning different chronic diseases, cardiovascular, stroke, epilepsy, and others. The Personal Health Records (PHR) is presented as a new technological approach aimed at standardizing electronic management of medical information between the patient and its physicians, as well as among medical organizations collaborating in providing integrated medical care services. On the examples of most common commercial as well as open-source implementations of such system we aim to describe roles and aims behind electronic health recording, follow with applicable legal and standardizations frameworks and European activities in this area, leading towards introduction to most common commercial as well as open-source implementations of such systems and concluding with indication of specific adaptations enabling the use of stored personal health data for scientific research into causes and evaluation of chronic illnesses. We describe also ethical and privacy concerns that are relevant to using and exchanging electronic health information.

Supporting medical research on chronic diseases using integrated health monitoring platform

This paper describes combined experiences in developing e-Health platforms and services with respect of supporting medical research into the causes and relationships among physiological parameters and health problems concerning different chronic diseases, from cardiovascular to stroke, epilepsy, and others. The Personal Health Records (PHR) is presented as new technological approaches aimed at standardizing electronic management of medical information between the patient and its physicians, as well as among medical organizations collaborating in providing integrated medical care services. We describe roles and aims behind electronic health recording, follow with applicable legal and standardizations frameworks and European activities in this area, leading towards introduction to most common commercial as well as open-source implementations of such systems and concluding with indication of specific adaptations enabling the use of stored personal health data for scientific research into causes and evaluation of chronic illnesses. We also describe ethical and privacy concerns that are relevant to using and exchanging electronic health information.

Patient Health Record (PHR) System

This chapter focusses on the introduction of the Electronic (EHR) and Personal Health Records (PHR) as new technological approaches aimed at standardising electronic management of medical information between the patient and its physicians, as well as among medical organisations collaborating in providing integrated medical care services. We start with the introduction of the roles and aims behind EHR, followed by the description of the applicable legal and standardisations frameworks and European activities in this area, finishing with the introduction to most common commercial as well as open-source implementations of such systems. As a conclusion we also signal ethical and privacy concerns that are relevant to using and exchanging electronic health information.

User Interfaces and 3D Environment Scanning for Game-Based Training in Mixed-Reality Spaces

Game-based rehabilitation systems gain much interest recently due to fast advancement of natural human-machine interfaces including Augmented and Virtual Reality headsets, near-real time 3D body motion understanding and 3D environmental scanners. Game-based training and rehabilitation has quickly recognized the advantage of improving personal physical capabilities using games and competition as incentives for boosting patient’s compliance. Such systems call for new types of user interfaces, which seamlessly engage natural human senses and allow interaction as if one was in his/her natural environment. Furthermore, a possibility to exercise within a familiar home environment further improves the effectiveness of the rehabilitation. The core of the work presented here originates from the FP7-ICT-StrokeBack project and includes more recent advances in 3D scanning of large scale environments and introduces high precision 3D object modelling for realistic gaming environments from Horizon’2020-Reflective-SCAN4RECO project, both co-funded by the European Commission from FP7 and Horizon’2020 programs.

Prototyping and Business Potential

This chapter describes the general look and feel of the StrokeBack system. It concentrates on real-world requirements and previous experiences in telemedicine work and provides the blue print for the StrokeBack system development. The implementation and integration of the overall project solution into a “Smart Table” and “Mobile Station” of MEYTEC is described. In the follow-up aspects related to exploitation of the project results, commercialization and business potential are discussed. It provides the details of the associated market, the profiles of the tentative clients and the opportunities for further post-project exploitation. The same is done for by-products of the project. In addition the reader is provided with details related to regulatory framework regarding medical devices and software and the assessment of the consortium regarding a characterization of exploitable outcomes from this framework.

Requirements and Conceptual Architecture

This chapter describes an overview of research into the design principles for the system envisioned for the rehabilitation of stroke patients. The report identifies the design principles from two perspectives. From one side, it describes the system user needs/clinical specification—this describes the system requirements from a user/therapist perspective in order to provide the service and ensure effective usability of the system. On the other hand, it shows the system from a technical perspective—detailing the operational system to be used for pilot testing, proof-of-concept experiments and demonstration purposes. This offers the development of system requirements from both perspectives for a functional and operational system. These requirements can be implemented into forthcoming work packages to achieve both technical objectives and to satisfy user needs. A review of the literature and the findings of our National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Programme ‘Assistive Technologies in Rehabilitation of the Arm following Stroke’ (ATRAS REF: RP-PG-0707-10012) has informed the proposed design from the user needs perspective. The chapter then follows up with the system specification and the description of the conceptual architecture.