44 research outputs found
Robot deployment in long-term care: a case study of a mobile robot in physical therapy
Background. Healthcare systems in industrialised countries are challenged to provide
care for a growing number of older adults. Information technology holds the promise of
facilitating this process by providing support for care staff, and improving wellbeing of
older adults through a variety of support systems. Goal. Little is known about the
challenges that arise from the deployment of technology in care settings; yet, the
integration of technology into care is one of the core determinants of successful
support. In this paper, we discuss challenges and opportunities associated with
technology integration in care using the example of a mobile robot to support physical
therapy among older adults with cognitive impairment in the European project
STRANDS. Results and discussion. We report on technical challenges along with
perspectives of physical therapists, and provide an overview of lessons learned which
we hope will help inform the work of researchers and practitioners wishing to integrate
robotic aids in the caregiving process
Modelling mammalian energetics: the heterothermy problem
Global climate change is expected to have strong effects on the world’s flora and fauna. As a result, there has been a recent increase in the number of meta-analyses and mechanistic models that attempt to predict potential responses of mammals to changing climates. Many models that seek to explain the effects of environmental temperatures on mammalian energetics and survival assume a constant body temperature. However, despite generally being regarded as strict homeotherms, mammals demonstrate a large degree of daily variability in body temperature, as well as the ability to reduce metabolic costs either by entering torpor, or by increasing body temperatures at high ambient temperatures. Often, changes in body temperature variability are unpredictable, and happen in response to immediate changes in resource abundance or temperature. In this review we provide an overview of variability and unpredictability found in body temperatures of extant mammals, identify potential blind spots in the current literature, and discuss options for incorporating variability into predictive mechanistic models
Differences in growth rates and pre-hibernation body mass gain between early and late-born juvenile garden dormice
MyCompanion: A digital social companion for assisted living
In this work, we present the initial progressive build of a prototype system, dubbed MyCompanion. MyCompanion to improve assisted living, ultimately targeting alleviating social exclusion and loneliness. The system, based on a Raspberry Pi, connects to a user’s television set and tracks data from sensors placed around the house. An inbuilt artificial intelligence chat-bot then listens to, as well as instantiates, conversation with the user based on self-imposed triggers. Data from the sensors inform MyCompanion in real time user behaviour and records these readings. We also port MyCompanion software to an anthropomorphic version inside a humanoid robot for us to be able to give a physical dimension to the digital character