DEVELOPMENT OF A MECHATRONIC SYSTEM FOR BEDRIDDEN PEOPLE SUPPORT

This work is developed in the context of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and has, as main purpose, the development of a mechatronic system that allows caring of bedridden patients with ongoing medical care terminal (MCT), by a single person. This system allows higher autonomy in domiciliary care, safety, comfort and hygiene of bedridden patients. It contributes to a large increase in their quality of life as well as the ease of monitoring by providers of continuous care, which, in many cases, may be the family itself. The product includes an embedded processing interface for acquiring physiological data to support online monitoring. The development of this project was focused on improving the quality of life, autonomy, participation in social life and reducing healthcare costs in the area AAL. The developed societies currently face severe demographic changes: the world is aging at an unprecedented rate. In 2000, about 420 million people, or about 7 percent of the world population were over 65 years old. In 2050, that number will be near 1500 million people, about 16 percent of the world population. This demographic trend will be accompanied by the increase of people with physical limitations. This will impose new challenges for traditional health systems, not only for Portugal but also for all European countries. There is an urgent need to find solutions to improve the lives of people in their preferred environment by increasing their autonomy, self-confidence and mobility. Therefore, in the case of household scenarios, the provision of effective health services is of fundamental importance to the welfare and economic development of each country. This ongoing project aims to develop a mechatronic system to meet the diverse needs, namely: improving life, health care, safety, comfort, and remote monitoring of bedridden person.

A Caregiver Support Platform within the Scope of an Ambient Assisted Living Ecosystem

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) area is in constant evolution, providing new technologies to users and enhancing the level of security and comfort that is ensured by house platforms. The Ambient Assisted Living for All (AAL4ALL) project aims to develop a new AAL concept, supported on a unified ecosystem and certification process that enables a heterogeneous environment. The concepts of Intelligent Environments, Ambient Intelligence, and the foundations of the Ambient Assisted Living are all presented in the framework of this project. In this work, we consider a specific platform developed in the scope of AAL4ALL, called UserAccess. The architecture of the platform and its role within the overall AAL4ALL concept, the implementation of the platform, and the available interfaces are presented. In addition, its feasibility is validated through a series of tests.

Teaching drawing: an interdisciplinary pedagogical experience in a graphic design course

Various authors have written about the importance of drawing in design methodology. Their general conclusion points drawing as an essential tool for design research, as it allows investigation of several alternative solutions in design process (Cross, 2007). The recent profound changes in design nature (Norman, 2011), justify a discussion on the purpose of drawing in design courses. As a consequence of this new reality, the educational institutions face the challenge of the definition of their curricular structures and teaching methodologies. Among others, concepts such as collaboration and multidisciplinary design approaches have been discussed as strategies for design education (Heller and Talarico, 2011, pp. 82-85). In this context, and using our teaching activity experience in Drawing and Design areas, the authors discuss:  how can drawing methods be included in the current design teaching?  can drawing be considered as an interdisciplinary approach?  what contributions can these methodologies provide to the educational/learning process? Based on these concerns, we developed an interdisciplinary project in the Graphic Design Course with two curricular units: Drawing 1 and Aesthetic and Design Theory 1. In this article the authors present the aims and process developed, and discuss the outcomes of this pedagogical experience.

The impact of the digital divide on the perceived interest of an e-Marketplace to support healthcare and social care services

In a Europe increasingly aging, it is now recognized the importance and potential of the service industry for ageing well based on information and communication technologies (ICT), as exemplified by the electronic market of social services and health care, the GuiMarket, proposed by the authors. However, this new range of services requires that individuals have advanced digital skills to fully participate in society. Based on the results of a survey made on a sample of 315 individuals, this paper discusses the importance granted GuiMarket and the intended frequency of use, concluding there is a close relationship between ICT access and use that respondents anticipate making of GuiMarket and alike services.