The information retrieval challenge of human digital memories

Today people are storing increasing amounts of personal information in digital format. While storage of such information is becoming straight forward, retrieval from the vast personal archives that this is creating poses significant challenges. Existing retrieval techniques are good at retrieving from non-personal spaces, such as the World Wide Web. However they are not sufficient for retrieval of items from these new unstructured spaces which contain items that are personal to the individual, and of which the user has personal memories and with which has had previous interaction. We believe that there are new and exciting possibilities for retrieval from personal archives. Memory cues act as triggers for individuals in the remembering process, a better understanding of memory cues will enable us to design new and effective retrieval algorithms and systems for personal archives. Context data, such as time and location, is already proving to play a key part in this special retrieval domain, for example for searching personal photo archives, we believe there are many other rich sources of context that can be exploited for retrieval from personal archives

Glance behaviours when using an in-vehicle smart driving aid : a real-world, on-road driving study

In-vehicle information systems (IVIS) are commonplace in modern vehicles, from the initial satellite navigation and in-car infotainment systems, to the more recent driving related Smartphone applications. Investigating how drivers interact with such systems when driving is key to understanding what factors need to be considered in order to minimise distraction and workload issues while maintaining the benefits they provide. This study investigates the glance behaviours of drivers, assessed from video data, when using a smart driving Smartphone application (providing both eco-driving and safety feedback in real-time) in an on-road study over an extended period of time. Findings presented in this paper show that using the in-vehicle smart driving aid during real-world driving resulted in the drivers spending an average of 4.3% of their time looking at the system, at an average of 0.43 s per glance, with no glances of greater than 2 s, and accounting for 11.3% of the total glances made. This allocation of visual resource could be considered to be taken from ‘spare’ glances, defined by this study as to the road, but off-centre. Importantly glances to the mirrors, driving equipment and to the centre of the road did not reduce with the introduction of the IVIS in comparison to a control condition. In conclusion an ergonomically designed in-vehicle smart driving system providing feedback to the driver via an integrated and adaptive interface does not lead to visual distraction, with the task being integrated into normal driving

Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people

This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and users for which service robots are and are not suitable

Monitoring fatigue and drowsiness in motor vehicle occupants using electrocardiogram and heart rate - A systematic review

Introdução: A fadiga é um estado complexo que pode resultar em diminuição da vigilância, frequentemente acompanhada de sonolência. A fadiga durante a condução contribui significativamente para acidentes de trânsito em todo o mundo, destacando-se a necessidade de técnicas de monitorização eficazes. Existem várias tecnologias para aumentar a segurança do condutor e reduzir os riscos de acidentes, como sistemas de deteção de fadiga que podem alertar os condutores à medida que a sonolência se instala. Em particular, a análise dos padrões de frequência cardíaca pode oferecer informações valiosas sobre a condição fisiológica e o nível de vigilância do condutor, permitindo-lhe compreender os seus níveis de fadiga. Esta revisão tem como objetivo estabelecer o estado atual das estratégias de monitorização para ocupantes de veículos, com foco específico na avaliação da fadiga pela frequência cardíaca e variabilidade da frequência cardíaca. Métodos: Realizamos uma pesquisa sistemática da literatura nas bases de dados Web of Science, SCOPUS e Pubmed, utilizando os termos veículo, condutor, monitoração fisiológica, fadiga, sono, eletrocardiograma, frequência cardíaca e variabilidade da frequência cardíaca. Examinamos artigos publicados entre 1 de janeiro de 2018 e 31 de janeiro de 2023. Resultados: Um total de 371 artigos foram identificados, dos quais 71 foram incluídos neste estudo. Entre os artigos incluídos, 57 utilizam o eletrocardiograma (ECG) como sinal adquirido para medir a frequência cardíaca, sendo que a maioria das leituras de ECG foi obtida através de sensores de contacto (n=41), seguidos por sensores vestíveis não invasivos (n=11). Relativamente à validação, 23 artigos não mencionam qualquer tipo de validação, enquanto a maioria se baseia em avaliações subjetivas de fadiga relatadas pelos próprios participantes (n=27) e avaliações feitas por observadores com base em vídeos (n=11). Dos artigos incluídos, apenas 14 englobam um sistema de estimativa de fadiga e sonolência. Alguns relatam um desempenho satisfatórios, no entanto, o tamanho reduzido da amostra limita a abrangência de quaisquer conclusões. Conclusão: Esta revisão destaca o potencial da análise da frequência cardíaca e da instrumentação não invasiva para a monitorização contínua do estado do condutor e deteção de sonolência. Uma das principais questões é a falta de métodos suficientes de validação e estimativa para a fadiga, o que contribui para a insuficiência dos métodos na criação de sistemas de alarme proativos. Esta área apresenta grandes perspetivas, mas ainda está longe de ser implementada de forma fiável.Background: Fatigue is a complex state that can result in decreased alertness, often accompanied by drowsiness. Driving fatigue has become a significant contributor to traffic accidents globally, highlighting the need for effective monitoring techniques. Various technologies exist to enhance driver safety and minimize accident risks, such as fatigue detection systems that can alert drivers as drowsiness sets in. In particular, measuring heart rate patterns may offer valuable insights into the occupant's physiological condition and level of alertness, and may allow them to understand their fatigue levels. This review aims to establish the current state of the art of monitoring strategies for vehicle occupants, specifically focusing on fatigue assessed by heart rate and heart rate variability. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search in the databases of Web Of Science, SCOPUS and Pubmed, using the terms vehicle, driver, physiologic monitoring, fatigue, sleep, electrocardiogram, heart rate and heart rate variability. We examine articles published between 1st of january 2018 and 31st of January 2023. Results: A total of 371 papers were identified from which 71 articles were included in this study. Among the included papers, 57 utilized electrocardiogram (ECG) as the acquired signal for heart rate (HR) measures, with most ECG readings obtained through contact sensors (n=41), followed by non-intrusive wearable sensors (n=11). Regarding validation, 23 papers do not report validation, while the majority rely on subjective self-reported fatigue ratings (n=27) and video-based observer ratings(n=11). From the included papers, only 14 comprise a fatigue and drowsiness estimation system. Some report acceptable performances, but reduced sample size limits the reach of any conclusions. Conclusions: This review highlights the potential of HR analysis and non-intrusive instrumentation for continuous monitoring of driver's status and detecting sleepiness. One major issue is the lack of sufficient validation and estimation methods for fatigue, contributing to the insufficiency of methods in providing proactive alarm systems. This area shows great promise but is still far from being reliably implemented

2009 Regional Safety Action Plan: Improving Transportation Safety in the Delaware Valley

Over 450 people die in crashes on the roads of the nine-county Delaware Valley in an average year. Over 50,000 people are injured in approximately 90,000 crashes. The Safety Action Plan includes a methodology to define key safety emphasis areas, a range of strategies for each of the seven emphasis areas, and a focused implementation table to reduce the number of fatalities. The Safety Action Plan was developed with guidance from the multi-disciplinary Regional Safety Task Force. The implementation table is an agreed-upon starting point for how partners will work together to improve traffic safety in the region. Each meeting of the Regional Safety Task Force will include reporting back on progress on the implementation table. The Safety Action Plan will be updated regularly. Analysis of crash data for the region is provided in Traffic Crash Analysis of the Delaware Valley (Publication Number 08054)