Project description DEENESFRITPL High-tech solution for smell health and care Temporary or permanent loss of the sense of smell can take a serious toll on a person’s health and even cause mental health disorders. In fact, early olfactory dysfunction is a biomarker for detecting diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The negative effects of smell dysfunctions have also been experienced by a larger global population due to the impact of COVID-19. In this context, the ERC-funded SmellHealth project will design new digital smell healthcare applications for smell training for a highly accurate, efficient, adaptive and affordable smell delivery technology. It will enable the collection of reliable data, the creation of digital data sets based on smell performance, and extend the benefits of personalised electronic healthcare records for monitoring, diagnosis and prevention. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The aim of this ERC PoC is to enable the design of new digital smell healthcare applications (e.g. smell training) through the development of a highly accurate, efficient, adaptive, and affordable smell-delivery technology (hardware and software components), and demonstrate its use to healthcare professionals. The human sense of smell is powerful, it makes an important and yet often undervalued contribution to our life and wellbeing with a unique link to emotions and memories. Smell dysfunctions or loss (even temporary) give rise to a range of problems, which can affect personal safety, enjoyment of food, personal hygiene, and can cause serious mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety and social isolation. In Europe and the USA, around 20% of the general adult population has some form of smell dysfunction and this number rises to 75% for people aged between 70–80 years. In 2050, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 65 years and over. The negative effects of smell dysfunctions have recently been experienced by a larger global population due to the impact of COVID-19. Regardless of a temporary or chronic smell dysfunction, there is an unmet need for digital smell care applications that empower individuals and healthcare professionals to properly care and treat negative effects. Smell training can make a difference to people’s health, personal and emotional wellbeing in older age. Additionally, reliably recording a person’s smell capabilities can detect dysfunctions that can be an early sign of degenerative conditions (Dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease), even a decade or more before the onset of cognitive or motor symptoms. SmellHealth will not only provide technological innovation for smell delivery and control, but also enable the collection of reliable data, the creation of digital datasets based on smell performance and thus extend the benefits of personalised electronic healthcare records for monitoring, diagnosis, and prevention. Fields of science medical and health scienceshealth scienceshealth care serviceseHealth Keywords Smell-Delivery Technology Smell Health Applications Digital Smell Training Human-Computer Interaction User-Centred Design Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2020-POC - Call for proposals for ERC Proof of Concept Grant Call for proposal ERC-2020-PoC See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant Host institution OWIDGETS LTD Net EU contribution € 150 000,00 Address UNIT 1, CAMBRIDGE HOUSE CAMBORO BUSINESS PARK OAKINGTON ROAD CB3 0QH Cambridge United Kingdom See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all OWIDGETS LTD United Kingdom Net EU contribution € 150 000,00 Address UNIT 1, CAMBRIDGE HOUSE CAMBORO BUSINESS PARK OAKINGTON ROAD CB3 0QH Cambridge See on map SME The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed. Yes Region East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC Activity type Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost No data
