Mobility limitations in older adults are associated with poor clinical outcomes including higher mortality and disability rates. A decline in mobility (including physical function and life-space) is detectable and should be discovered as early as possible, as it can still be stabilized or even reversed in early stages by targeted interventions. General practitioners (GPs) would be in the ideal position to monitor the mobility of their older patients. However, easy-to-use and valid instruments for GPs to conduct mobility assessment in the real-life practice setting are missing. Modern technologies such as the global positioning system (GPS) and inertial measurement units (IMUs) - nowadays embedded in every smartphone - could facilitate monitoring of different aspects of mobility in the GP's practice.This project's aim is to provide GPs with a novel smartphone application that allows them to quantify their older patients' mobility. The project consists of three parts: development of the GPS- and IMU-based application, evaluation of its validity and reliability (Study 1), and evaluation of its applicability and acceptance (Study 2). In Study 1, participants (target N = 72, aged 65+, ≥2 chronic diseases) will perform a battery of walking tests (varying distances; varying levels of standardization). Besides videotaping and timing (gold standard), a high-end GPS device, a medium-accuracy GPS/IMU logger and three different smartphone models will be used to determine mobility parameters such as gait speed. Furthermore, participants will wear the medium-accuracy GPS/IMU logger and a smartphone for a week to determine their life-space mobility. Participants will be re-assessed after 1 week. In Study 2, participants (target N = 60, aged 65+, ≥2 chronic diseases) will be instructed on how to use the application by themselves. Participants will perform mobility assessments independently at their own homes. Aggregated test results will also be presented to GPs. Acceptance of the application will be assessed among patients and GPs. The application will then be finalized and publicly released.If successful, the MOBITEC-GP application will offer health care providers the opportunity to follow their patients' mobility over time and to recognize impending needs (e.g. for targeted exercise) within pre-clinical stages of decline.
In this work we present the design, development, and evaluation of an integrated system for monitoring hotels' environmental data, offering at the same time an app for the customers to preview these data in real-time. The system integrates a platform for calculating the environmental footprint of the hotels and a benchmarking tool for comparing hotels' environmental achievements, supporting decision-making from their managers. A number of sensors (pool sensor, weather station, indoor air quality sensors), installed in the hotel areas monitor and send the required data to the online monitoring platform. A dashboard is also available for a free preview, where the hotels are able to advertise their real-time measurements to the public. The system was evaluated using the ISO/IEC 25022:2016 and the results are promising so as usability is concerned but also as the satisfaction of the end users.
In this study, VRESS, the designing of a platform for the development of personalized Virtual Reality scenarios to support individuals with Autism that would be able to practice and develop their social skills participating in selected Social Stories is presented. The platform will be integrated with biobehavioral monitoring modules through sensors such as heart rate and eye gaze recognition, offering multimodal interfaces that will offer important feedback so for the further customization of the scenarios as well as for the clinical research. The implementation methodology includes reiterative research and development cycles and participation of autistic people and their carers. The involvement of the beneficiaries and the contribution of their parents, educators as well as the expertise of psychologists, cognitive and social scientists are considered key to the success of this study.
Prominent theories of aging emphasize the importance of resource allocation processes as a means to maintain functional ability, well-being and quality of life. Little is known about which activities and what activity patterns actually characterize the daily lives of healthy older adults in key domains of functioning, including the spatial, physical, social, and cognitive domains. This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of daily activities of community-dwelling older adults over an extended period of time and across a diverse range of activity domains, and to examine associations between daily activities, health and well-being at the within- and between-person levels. It also aims to examine contextual correlates of the relations between daily activities, health, and well-being. At its core, this ambulatory assessment (AA) study with a sample of 150 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 91 years measured spatial, physical, social, and cognitive activities across 30 days using a custom-built mobile sensor (“uTrail”), including GPS, accelerometer, and audio recording. In addition, during the first 15 days, self-reports of daily activities, psychological correlates, contexts, and cognitive performance in an ambulatory working memory task were assessed 7 times per day using smartphones. Surrounding the ambulatory assessment period, participants completed an initial baseline assessment including a telephone survey, web-based questionnaires, and a laboratory-based cognitive and physical testing session. They also participated in an intermediate laboratory session in the laboratory at half-time of the 30-day ambulatory assessment period, and finally returned to the laboratory for a posttest assessment. In sum, this is the first study which combines multi-domain activity sensing and self-report ambulatory assessment methods to observe daily life activities as indicators of functional ability in healthy older adults unfolding over an extended period (i.e., 1 month). It offers a unique opportunity to describe and understand the diverse individual real-life functional ability profiles characterizing later life.
Aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the life-space measures and walking speed delivered by the MOBITEC-GP app. Participants underwent several supervised walking speed assessments as well as a 1-week life-space assessment during two assessment sessions 9 days apart. Fifty-seven older adults (47.4% male, mean age= 75.3 (±5.9) years) were included in the study. The MOBITEC-GP app showed moderate to excellent test-retest reliability (ICCs between 0.584 and 0.920) and validity (ICCs between 0.468 and 0.950) of walking speed measurements of 50 meters and above and of most 1-week life-space parameters, including life-space area, time spent out-of-home, and action range. The MOBITEC-GP app for Android is a reliable and valid tool for the assessment of real-life walking speed (at distances of 50 metres and above) and life-space parameters of older adults. Future studies should look into technical issues more systematically in order to avoid invalid measurements.
Abstract Modern technologies such as the Global Navigation Satellite System and accelerometers which are integrated in every smartphone enable tracking mobility patterns over time, which in turn enables early detection of mobility impairments. Aim of the MOBITEC-GP project was to develop a mobile app which measures walking speed and spatial mobility under everyday conditions. Reliability and validity of the application was tested first (Study 1). The applicability in everyday life and the acceptance by older adults (Study 2) was also investigated. In study 1, participants underwent several supervised walking speed assessments as well as a 1-week life-space assessment during two assessment sessions 9 days apart. Fifty-seven older adults (47.4% male, mean age= 75.3 years) were included in the study. The app showed moderate to excellent test-retest reliability and validity of walking speed measurements of 50 meters and above and of most 1-week life-space parameters, including life-space area, time spent out-of-home, and action range. Study 2 revealed a good usability of the app (mean System Usability Scale score=77.18) among older adults (N=60 with ≥2 chronic conditions) for a 1-week usage of the app including both, a 1-week life space assessment and at least one gait speed measurement in a 30-minute stroll. The MOBITEC-GP app is a reliable, valid and usable tool for the assessment of real-life walking speed (at distances of 50 metres and above) and life-space parameters of older adults. Future studies should look into technical issues more systematically in order to avoid invalid measurements.
