Mario Drobics

The Internet of Things for Ambient Assisted Living

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the logical further development of today’s Internet. Technological advancements lead to smart objects being capable of identifying, locating, sensing and connecting and thus leading to new forms of communication between people and things and things themselves. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) encompasses technical systems to support elderly people in their daily routine to allow an independent and safe lifestyle as long as possible. Keep In Touch (KIT) uses smart objects and technologies (Near Field Communication and Radio Frequency Identification) to facilitate telemonitoring processes. Closed Loop Healthcare Services take use of KIT technology and are capable of processing relevant data and establishing communication channels between elderly people and their environment and different groups of care-givers (physicians, relatives, mobile care providers). The combination of KIT technology (smart objects) and Closed Loop Healthcare Services results in an applied IoT infrastructure for AAL scenarios. Already applied IoT and AAL applications in telemonitoring and medication intake compliance projects show that these applications are useful and accepted by the elderly and that the developed infrastructure enables a new form of communication between people and people, people-to-people (P2P) communication. The personal communication between elderly people, their environment and relevant groups of care givers is an important aspect in AAL. Through the combination of KIT and Closed Loop Healthcare, a central AAL paradigm can be realized through the IoT, where the elderly live in their homes with smart objects, thus smart homes, communicating to the outside world in an intelligent and goal-orientated manner.

ICT-based system to predict and prevent falls (iStoppFalls): study protocol for an international multicenter randomized controlled trial

BackgroundFalls are very common, especially in adults aged 65 years and older. Within the current international European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7) project ‘iStoppFalls’ an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based system has been developed to regularly assess a person’s risk of falling in their own home and to deliver an individual and tailored home-based exercise and education program for fall prevention. The primary aims of iStoppFalls are to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention program, and its effectiveness to improve balance, muscle strength and quality of life in older people.Methods/DesignThis international, multicenter study is designed as a single-blinded, two-group randomized controlled trial. A total of 160 community-dwelling older people aged 65 years and older will be recruited in Germany (n = 60), Spain (n = 40), and Australia (n = 60) between November 2013 and May 2014. Participants in the intervention group will conduct a 16-week exercise program using the iStoppFalls system through their television set at home. Participants are encouraged to exercise for a total duration of 180 minutes per week. The training program consists of a variety of balance and strength exercises in the form of video games using exergame technology. Educational material about a healthy lifestyle will be provided to each participant. Final reassessments will be conducted after 16 weeks. The assessments include physical and cognitive tests as well as questionnaires assessing health, fear of falling, quality of life and psychosocial determinants. Falls will be followed up for six months by monthly falls calendars.DiscussionWe hypothesize that the regular use of this newly developed ICT-based system for fall prevention at home is feasible for older people. By using the iStoppFalls sensor-based exercise program, older people are expected to improve in balance and strength outcomes. In addition, the exercise training may have a positive impact on quality of life by reducing the risk of falls. Taken together with expected cognitive improvements, the individual approach of the iStoppFalls program may provide an effective model for fall prevention in older people who prefer to exercise at home.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Trial ID: ACTRN12614000096651.International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number: ISRCTN15932647.

Near Field Communication Technology as the Key for Data Acquisition in Clinical Research

Electronic data capture systems are utilized to collect, document, and process research data for clinical trials. Ideally, the workflow of collecting the data could be simplified by using mobile clients that enable for data acquisition at the point-of-care. Mobile phones provide a range of features to act as data acquisition unit for clinical trials. A novel approach towards an automated solution is the combination of mobile phones with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This technology enables for easy-to-use data acquisition just by touching items. The aim of this work has been to design and develop an additional path for clinical data acquisition based on mobile phones and NFC technology. The system was utilized in a pilot trial and evaluated regarding usability and feasibility for clinical application.

A Multilocus Technique for Risk Evaluation of Patients with Neuroblastoma

Purpose: Precise and comprehensive analysis of neuroblastoma genetics is essential for accurate risk evaluation and only pangenomic/multilocus approaches fulfill the present-day requirements. We present the establishment and validation of the PCR-based multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) technique for neuroblastoma. Experimental Design: A neuroblastoma-specific MLPA kit was designed by the SIOP Europe Neuroblastoma Biology Committee in cooperation with MRC-Holland. The contained target sequences cover 19 chromosomal arms and reference loci. Validation was performed by single locus and pangenomic techniques (n = 174). Dilution experiments for determination of minimal tumor cell percentage were performed and testing of reproducibility was checked by interlaboratory testing (n = 15). Further 156 neuroblastomas were used for establishing the amplification cutoff level. Results: The MLPA technique was tested in 310 neuroblastomas and 8 neuroblastoma cell lines (including validation and amplification cutoff level testing). Intertechnique validation showed a high concordance rate (99.5%). Interlaboratory MLPA testing (κ = 0.95, P < 0.01) revealed 7 discrepant of 1,490 results (0.5%). Validation by pangenomic techniques showed a single discordance of 190 consensus results (0.5%). The test results led to formulation of interpretation standards and to a kit revision. The minimal tumor cell percentage was fixed at 60%. Conclusions: The recently designed neuroblastoma-specific MLPA kit covers all chromosomal regions demanded by the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group for therapy stratification and includes all hitherto described genetic loci of prognostic interest for future studies and can be modified or extended at any time. Moreover, the technique is cost effective, reliable, and robust with a high interlaboratory and intertechnique concordance. Clin Cancer Res; 17(4); 792–804. ©2011 AACR.

Tablet, gestures, remote control?: influence of age on performance and user experience with iTV applications

Due to recent development of TVs in the direction of highly interactive multimedia platforms, interactive TV (iTV) applications gain popularity. In terms of control possibilities a variety of input modalities have become available, though effects on performance and user experience of different age groups when controlling different iTV applications remain unclear. We present an empirical investigation comparing three input modalities (tablet, freehand gestures, remote) for controlling two iTV applications (Photo Browser, Nutrition Tracker) used by older and younger adults. Results show that all three independent variables had significant influence on performance, while we did not find influence of age or application on user experience. Overall tablet input based on a mirrored TV screen showed the best performance and was preferred by both age groups. Older adults were overall slower and showed a particularly large performance gap with the remote in comparison to younger adults.

Ambient Assisted Living for ageing well – an overview

ZusammenfassungAmbient Assited Living (AAL) kann als eine der Triebfedern zukünftiger technologischer Entwicklungen gesehen werden. Die Überalterung der Gesellschaft stellt uns vor gewaltige ökonomische, soziale und psychologische Herausforderungen, so dass alle Elemente der Gesellschaft (Forschung, Industrie, Bedarfsträger, Politik) gefordert sind, an der Lösung dieser Probleme mitzuarbeiten. Dieser Artikel soll über den aktuellen Status der Forschung, Programme sowie über aktuelle Bemühungen und Herausforderungen auf dem Gebiet des AAL informieren. Beginnend mit einem Überblick über AAL-Themen, wie sie von der europäischen AAL-Vereinigung und der Europäischen Kommission definiert wurden, werden danach ausgewählte Projekte und Förderprogramme präsentiert.SummaryAmbient Assisted Living (AAL) can be considered as a future umbrella for technological advances. Especially elderly-related activities will be facing severe economical, social and psychological challenges such that all categories of the society (scientists, industrials, stakeholders and politicians) are called to contribute solutions to deal with expected issues. This paper aims to inform the intended readership about the status of research, programmes as well as actual efforts and challenges in the field of AAL. This report provides first the status of the problem as well as an overview of the AAL topics targeted by the European AAL Association and the European Commission. Selected AAL projects in Europe and worldwide as well as existing umbrellas for funding AAL research and technologies are briefly introduced.

Ambient Assisted Living – Intelligente Assistenz durch M2M-Technologien

ZusammenfassungDen Herausforderungen des demographischen Wandels stellt sich Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) mittels ICT-basierter Technologien, die das Leben älterer Menschen situationsabhängig und unaufdringlich unterstützen sollen. Diese Arbeit behandelt Einsatzbeispiele von M2M-Technologien im Bereich AAL. Die anwendungsorientieren Forschungsprojekte Gesundheitsdialog Diabetes, iStoppFalls, Füllstandsmessung mittels Near Field Communication (NFC) und Leichter Wohnen (moduLAAr) werden vorgestellt und erörtert.AbstractThe challenges of demographic changes are addressed by Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) by ICT-based technologies, which shall assist independent living of older adults in a situational and unobtrusive way. This work deals with application examples of M2M technologies in the area of AAL. The applied research projects “Gesundheitsdialog Diabetes”, “iStoppFalls”, “Liquid Level Measurement by Near Field Communication (NFC)” and “Leichter Wohnen (moduLAAr)” are presented and discussed.

Game-Based IT Solutions for Active and Healthy Aging

Game-based approaches can be used to support traditional intervention schemes which enable older adults in staying active & healthy for a longer time. These techniques are especially useful as they improve the motivation of the users and thus help to improve the effectiveness of the intervention. TV-based games are often oriented along traditional video games. External sensors like video cameras can be incorporated to provide direct feedback on the activities of the user. This information can also be utilized to reassess the status of the user and monitor his/her training progress. Mobile devices and the large range of available body worn sensors offer the opportunity to design games around daily and outdoor activities. By adding a social level to the games, competition and group efforts can be initiated, giving further motivation to reach a certain goal. In this overview, we will present different approaches of game-based IT solutions to support active & healthy aging, including concrete examples from resent applications.

Validation of a method for the estimation of energy expenditure during physical activity using a mobile device accelerometer

This work was supported by FCT project PEst-OE/EEI/L A0008/2013 (Este trabalho foi suportado pelo projecto FCT PEst-OE/EEI/LA0008/2013). The authors would also like to acknowledge the contribution of the COST Action IC1303 – AAPELE – Architectures, Algorithms and Protocols for Enhanced Living Environments.

Next Generation ICT Platform to Harmonize Medical, Care and Lifestyle Services

The key to active and healthy living/aging in the 21st century is to establish an individualized everyday-living environment that supports positive health behaviour and sustainable healthy lifestyle by means of applied ICT technology. Next generation ICT platforms have to support health-service as well as care and life-style service in a uniform as well as standardised way to enable integrated, scalable, and thus cost efficient solutions for the society.