Daniela Onofrejová

MonAMI platform, trials and results

The goal of this paper is to supply information about implemented MonAMI platform as result of 6.FP project focused on social and ICT based services to provide higher level quality of life by improving safety, autonomy and comfort for seniors. The paper is divided into three main parts. The first part describes technology platform used in seniors household environment. The background of the trials is introduced in the second part. Summary overviews of results from trials are described in the last part of the paper.

Intelligent rehabilitation devices and user interfaces

The paper presents a brief overview of the projects integrating the development of ICTs with the rehabilitation system for people with risk of fall that are solved under the Ambient Assistive Technology (AAL) programme. The paper includes description of our concept of the diagnostic and rehabilitation system with preventative features to decrease the risks of fall and its consequences in elderly. It integrates functions of two systems developed within the two research projects MonAMI (6FP) and SMILING (7FP) where we participated. The main goal is to ensure higher safety for seniors who are in risk of falls and are living alone. The first module of the integrated rehabilitation system is aimed to identification of falls and emergency communication system for the households of elderly living alone. The platform for that is system developed under the 6FP - MonAMI. The second module of the diagnostic and rehabilitation system plays a preventive role as a home rehabilitation device used for regular training of gait during daily activities. The device is based on an innovation of the motorized mechatronic shoe TUKE developed under the 7FP project SMILING. Users train their walk ability during performance of everyday tasks while solving unexpected perturbations simulating influence of external environment by surmounting the uncertainty when stepping on. The complex system is undertaking the challenge to come in market where we see an absence of preventive, diagnostic-rehabilitation centers aimed on people (elderly) with risk of fall. The end users will be rehabilitation clinics, geriatric centers, social services and condition centers, but preferably individual users, mostly seniors.

Some aspects in e-learning for persons with disabilities

The paper deals with several aspects of e-learning accessibility while supporting students with disabilities. The crucial problem is to enable support for blind persons. There are available efficient tools as screen readers enabling access to text information. However, there are still weak points when using web, and accessing a graphical information. Authors describe our activities to improving access to Mathematics at our University for blind students, but not only to them.

Ambient assisted living development in east slovakia

Authors describe preliminary results and some new plans in the development project of the new social service in Kosice city in East Slovakia. On 20 users group of Kosice citizens it is shown how applied research has been translated into practical innovation of regional social service based on ICT technology. Results were obtained in frame of the International European project MonAMI --- Mainstreaming on Ambient Intelligence, supported by the 6-th framework program of the European Commission. It shows how ambient technology platform MonAMI and related ICT services were adapted into society in a city and rural area too in Slovakia. MonAMI is European project focusing on ambient assisted living concept to increase autonomy, enhance ICT services for monitoring purposes for carers and support safety of vulnerable people living alone. Current plans for further development and implementation in praxis in cooperation with the SME are described.

Telemedicine functions in ICT social services

Paper is focusing on relations between current ambient technologies assisting human activities of daily life patterns, social care systems and rehabilitation. Ambient technology is used to improve level of seniors autonomy, well being safety and quality of life. Such services need to be easy and effective to use, comfortable, and users have to operate them easily. Faced services should be designed under Design for all rules. The target group consists of vulnerable persons living alone or in sheltered households and their relatives.

Designing Simulation Model of the Production Operation for Further Decision Making

Simulation as a decision making method through its software is a supportive tool for analysis of a material flow, and it is appropriate when a performance of complex systems have to be evaluated, designed and optimized. As the behavior of complex systems is hardly predictable, simulating the existing systems’ performance is helpful in order to gain results of system performance before applying changes in a real system. A change that appears to be a best solution might, after calculation and analysis of its consequences, prove as a wrong direction lead. The more accurately is the model built, the more real results are being achieved. Decisions about the performance improvement might be intuitive as what-if analysis, or achieved by process redesign and improvement methods as Theory of Constraints, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma Method, some of them with slight changes in a single processes following Kaizen principles.

Application of Modelling and Simulation in the Selection of Production Lines

Production lines are complex mechatronic systems which have in their structure mechanical, electronic, control and software subsystems. The complexity of these systems is identified for mass production of paper napkins. The aim is to decide on the choice of the production line in terms of ensuring growth of value of the business and satisfaction of customers needs. The decision making process is carried out in steps of formulating the investment problem, technical features of the project, economic evaluation of the project based on a financial model in Microsoft Excel and analysis of project risks utilizing Monte Carlo simulations in the Crystal Ball system.

Processing the Experimental Data from Simulation Model of the Production Operation

Experimental studies of production technological processes are now enabled through a use of the available simulation software. The scientific studies, executing experiments with simulation software, are used to optimize, improve efficiency, and elimination of deficiencies in manufacturing processes without any interfering with the real processes. The big advantage is that by using simulation software, one can simulate a number of experimental variations of scenarios in advance, and evaluate any intervention in the course of the active process. Experiments with a built simulation model answer the questions of what-if analysis for variable set scenarios.

Logistic of Building Simulation Model of Healthcare Facility for Further Performance Management – Case Study

Logistics, as a scientific discipline, used to be oriented till lately on distribution of finished products from producer site to consumer sector, and this fact has reflected even in modeling and simulation approach. Simulation models of Healthcare Services, and generally services, can be considered as innovative procedures and till lately were not as widely described as for example typical material flow in manufacture. However, base knowledge that inheres in production simulation models can be applied at building of services simulation models.