Role Of Digital Health Wearables In The Wellbeing And Quality Of Life Of Older People And Carers

The number of adults aged 65 and over has increased by 2% across Europe in the past 15 years, and in Northern Ireland by 22% between 2003-2013. The proportion of the population in this age group is projected to increase by 63% to just under 0.5 million by 2033 – which will be a quarter of the population in Northern Ireland. Given Northern Ireland’s Active Ageing Strategy (2015-2021), there is an increasing focus on encouraging physical activity as we get older to preserve mobility and motor skills, and to enjoy the benefits of living longer and to minimise health problems associated with ageing. Over the last two years, we have been investigating the role of wearable activity tracking technologies in self-monitoring of activity by people aged over 55. Example technologies include activity trackers from Fitbit, Garmin and Samsung, and smart watches. Typically, these devices record steps walked, sleep patterns, calories expended and heart rate. Based on empirical investigations, this policy paper describes the benefits of activity monitors for people aged over 55 for self-monitoring of physical activity, for adopting healthy lifestyles, and for increasing or maintaining physical activity as a way to avoid high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and other medical conditions associated with weight or lower physical activity. It outlines the role of activity trackers in post-operative monitoring of mobility during rehabilitation, in caring, and for possible use of the data for diagnosis and medical interventions. It then discusses the challenges for adoption of these technologies, given currently, off-the-shelf devices are designed and calibrated for use by physically fit (typically young active people) with unrealistic fitness targets for the older generation

Design of an Elastic Actuation System for a Gait-Assistive Active Orthosis for Incomplete Spinal Cord Injured Subjects

A spinal cord injury severely reduces the quality of life of affected people. Following the injury, limitations of the ability to move may occur due to the disruption of the motor and sensory functions of the nervous system depending on the severity of the lesion. An active stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthosis was developed and tested in earlier works to aid incomplete SCI subjects by increasing their mobility and independence. This thesis aims at the incorporation of elastic actuation into the active orthosis to utilise advantages of the compliant system regarding efficiency and human-robot interaction as well as the reproduction of the phyisological compliance of the human joints. Therefore, a model-based procedure is adapted to the design of an elastic actuation system for a gait-assisitve active orthosis. A determination of the optimal structure and parameters is undertaken via optimisation of models representing compliant actuators with increasing level of detail. The minimisation of the energy calculated from the positive amount of power or from the absolute power of the actuator generating one human-like gait cycle yields an optimal series stiffness, which is similar to the physiological stiffness of the human knee during the stance phase. Including efficiency factors for components, especially the consideration of the electric model of an electric motor yields additional information. A human-like gait cycle contains high torque and low velocities in the stance phase and lower torque combined with high velocities during the swing. Hence, the efficiency of an electric motor with a gear unit is only high in one of the phases. This yields a conceptual design of a series elastic actuator with locking of the actuator position during the stance phase. The locked position combined with the series compliance allows a reproduction of the characteristics of the human gait cycle during the stance phase. Unlocking the actuator position for the swing phase enables the selection of an optimal gear ratio to maximise the recuperable energy. To evaluate the developed concept, a laboratory specimen based on an electric motor, a harmonic drive gearbox, a torsional series spring and an electromagnetic brake is designed and appropriate components are selected. A control strategy, based on impedance control, is investigated and extended with a finite state machine to activate the locking mechanism. The control scheme and the laboratory specimen are implemented at a test bench, modelling the foot and shank as a pendulum articulated at the knee. An identification of parameters yields high and nonlinear friction as a problem of the system, which reduces the energy efficiency of the system and requires appropriate compensation. A comparison between direct and elastic actuation shows similar results for both systems at the test bench, showing that the increased complexity due to the second degree of freedom and the elastic behaviour of the actuator is treated properly. The final proof of concept requires the implementation at the active orthosis to emulate uncertainties and variations occurring during the human gait

PREDICTIVE POWERTRAIN – N EW OPPORTUNITIES BY NETWORKING SYSTEMS

International audienceThese days it is not enough to think about downsizing of engines or the use of hybrid systems to keep upcoming CO 2 regulations as well as customer demands. Furthermore most of the vehicles’ components are highly optimized. The realization of further significant optimizations is only possible through a connection between these components. Intensive research activities play a major role in making Bosch a market and innovation leader in electronic powertrain and safety systems. And in diesel and gasoline engines as well, there are technological possibilities for reducing consumption evenfurther. What all powertrains have in common is the potential to reduce emissions and fuel consumption even further through networking of existing vehicle systems across all vehicle domains. The advent of electromobility is bringing together two areas of automotive technology that were traditionally regarded in isolation from one another – powertrains and chassis. Furthermore Bosch links automotive systems with data from the electronic horizon, which senses the vehicle’s environment and provides a detailed preview of the road ahead. Bosch Engineering GmbH is using cross-system networking within a concept vehicle as well as with external systems to develop new functions. The networking of vehicle systems encompasses the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), the electronic stability program ESP® and the whole powertrain (ICE and hybrid). Going beyond vehicle systems, automotive systems are also linked to data from the electronic horizon (interface to navigation system), this feature acts as a sensor to the environment to provide a detailed virtual preview of the route ahead. New functions thereby reduce fuel consumption and increase the level of comfort and safety. This paper provides an overview on the system approach and practical developments of Bosch Engineering in this area

"Theories are made only to die in the war of time": Guy Debord & the Situationist International as Strategic Thinkers

The Situationist International has been one of the main reference points during the past forty more years within social movement organizing, cultural studies, social theory, and philosophy concerned with the development of the city. While the SI have been understood in many ways, as inheritors as elaborators of a unorthodox Marxist politics drawing heavily from the history of the avant-garde, relatively little attention has been paid to the specifically strategic dimension of their thought and practice. This is surprising, particular in Debord?s case, given how much his work also draws from the history of military strategy. This paper particular will examine the strategic aspects of Debord and the SI?s thought and politics and how they rethinking the nature of strategy through collective forms of aesthetic-political practice

Eddy current based, contactless position transducer for a gas handle

In electric vehicles, it is normal to have an electronic set value for 'gas' and for 'brake'. Traditional potentiometers with sliding contacts are not reliable. Magnetoresistive sensors or hall effect sensors need a magnet on the moving part. The proposed sensor just needs iron on the moving part. It uses an oscillator circuit where the absorbed current is an indication of damping, so how close the iron is to the sensor. The component cost is low and the output has a soft gradual change with the displacement