Next-generation assistive systems to improve health care
Context-aware technology is evolving rapidly, particularly in the health care, wellness and assisted living (HWA) sector. It holds much promise in checking remotely on users such as the frail or elderly, informing caregivers or relatives in case of urgent or emergency situations. The EU-funded ICARENET (Intelligent context-aware systems for healthcare, wellness, and assisted living) project researched the latest in these systems and the technological challenges involved by studying context-aware systems worn on a person or placed in a room. ICARENET brought together a team of experts from industry and academia to train 19 fellows and prepare them for enterprising careers. This involved a multidisciplinary approach to develop the technology and an intensive research programme. The fellows also received complementary skills training. In addition to yearly winter and summer schools, seven one-week joint school events and a three-day international network conference were organised. In all, 102 lectures were given by 35 external lecturers. Two additional joint events were held. The series of events led to the establishment of more than 11 thematic workgroups by fellows to carry out joint research, publish joint papers, support doctoral projects and build strong training and research collaborations. As a result, over 70 papers were published in journals or presented at international conferences. Many more are scheduled for publication. The fellows carried out 16 research projects in total, enabling them to advance context-aware methods and technology for HWA applications. Project outcomes were disseminated widely in academic and industry communities, featuring prominently in about 50 conferences, meetings and workshops. A joint book on guidelines and recommendations for the future implementation of context-aware systems in HWA applications is scheduled for release. ICARENET advanced the state of the art in context-aware systems and technologies. As the new technologies and prototypes potentially become mainstream, these should help to ease the burden, not only on hospitals and care professionals, but also on patients and families.
Keywords
Health care, wellness and assisted living, caregivers, context-aware systems, care professionals, patients
