K-coverage in regular deterministic sensor deployments

An area is k-covered if every point of the area is covered by at least k sensors. K-coverage is necessary for many applications, such as intrusion detection, data gathering, and object tracking. It is also desirable in situations where a stronger environmental monitoring capability is desired, such as military applications. In this paper, we study the problem of k-coverage in deterministic homogeneous deployments of sensors. We examine the three regular sensor deployments - triangular, square and hexagonal deployments - for k-coverage of the deployment area, for k ≥ 1. We compare the three regular deployments in terms of sensor density. For each deployment, we compute an upper bound and a lower bound on the optimal distance of sensors from each other that ensure k-coverage of the area. We present the results for each k from 1 to 20 and show that the required number of sensors to k-cover the area using uniform random deployment is approximately 3-10 times higher than regular deployments

Real-time Gesture Recognition Using RFID Technology

This paper presents a real-time gesture recognition technique based on RFID technology. Inexpensive and unintrusive passive RFID tags can be easily attached to or interweaved into user clothes. The tag readings in an RFID-enabled environment can then be used to recognize the user gestures in order to enable intuitive human-computer interaction. People can interact with large public displays without the need to carry a dedicated device, which can improve interactive advertisement in public places. In this paper, multiple hypotheses tracking is used to track the motion patterns of passive RFID tags. Despite the reading uncertainties inherent in passive RFID technology, the experiments show that the presented online gesture recognition technique has an accuracy of up to 96%

On Optimal Arrangements of Binary Sensors

A large range of monitoring applications can benefit from binary sensor networks. Binary sensors can detect the presence or absence of a particular target in their sensing regions. They can be used to partition a monitored area and provide localization functionality. If many of these sensors are deployed to monitor an area, the area is partitioned into sub-regions: each sub-region is characterized by the sensors detecting targets within it. We aim to maximize the number of unique, distinguishable sub-regions. Our goal is an optimal placement of both omni-directional and directional static binary sensors. We compute an upper bound on the number of unique sub-regions, which grows quadratically with respect to the number of sensors. In particular, we propose arrangements of sensors within a monitored area whose number of unique sub-regions is asymptotically equivalent to the upper bound

Real-time Gesture Recognition Using RFID Technology

This paper presents a real-time gesture recognition technique based on RFID technology. Inexpensive and unintrusive passive RFID tags can be easily attached to or interweaved into user clothes. The tag readings in an RFID-enabled environment can then be used to recognize the user gestures in order to enable intuitive human-computer interaction. People can interact with large public displays without the need to carry a dedicated device, which can improve interactive advertisement in public places. In this paper, multiple hypotheses tracking is used to track the motion patterns of passive RFID tags. Despite the reading uncertainties inherent in passive RFID technology, the experiments show that the presented online gesture recognition technique has an accuracy of up to 96%

Design Opportunities for Digital Men’s Health: An Exploratory Study Focusing on Football Fandom

Many men stop exercising as they age, engage in risky behaviours such as alcohol misuse, are reluctant to admit to mental health problems, and avoid seeking help. Men are generally hard to reach for community health interventions. However, interventions run at football clubs have successfully engaged men and have led to positive health outcomes. Mobile health technology might similarly be designed to engage and encourage men via connections with football. This technology could be used to augment and extend community programs, or be used to target global fan bases. However, it is not clear if and how what attracts men to community interventions can translate to technology. In this paper we report a design study with 18 middle-age male participants exploring what men find important in football, and connections between football, health and technology. We present five design opportunities to guide and prompt further innovation in this area

An N-of-1 Evaluation Framework for Behaviour Change Applications

Mobile behaviour change applications should be evaluated for their effectiveness in promoting the intended behavior changes. In this paper we argue that the 'gold standard' form of effectiveness evaluation, the randomised controlled trial, has shortcomings when applied to mobile applications. We propose that N-of-1 (also known as single case design) based approaches have advantages. There is currently a lack of guidance for researchers and developers on how to take this approach. We present a framework encompassing three phases and two related checklists for performing N-of-1 evaluations. We also present our analysis of using this framework in the development and deployment of an app that encourages people to walk more. Our key findings are that there are challenges in designing engaging apps that automate N-of-1 procedures, and that there are challenges in collecting sufficient data of good quality. Further research should address these challenges

Tickets for the Afterlife

Sound Design for Website / App Platform Tickets for the Afterlife aims to introduce people to planning end of life wishes. Through visual communication, interaction and personal decision making. It uses artistic research methods that position diverse rituals and potential futures as options to be chosen within the digital experience/ website. It also uses the library's collections of books as a way of giving people personalised recommendations for further inquiry. The Tickets for the Afterlife website was creatively directed by Dr Stacey Pitsillides with graphic designer Elena Demireva, web developer’s Parvin Asadzadeh Birjandi & Tom Hegarty and sound designer Emma Margetson. Content research and co-design with Dr Claire Nally and the Death Positive Library team. Together this team have investigated the role of Death Positive Libraries during the pandemic through author/Filmmaker Q&A’s, death cafes and A Grief Spoon Room with the Loss Project. This project has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, Carnegie UK, and The Wolfson Foundation and has recently been awarded the Health and Wellbeing Award from Libraries Connected, an organisation which promotes and represents libraries as important resources at the heart of communities. Presented online and at Redbridge Central Library, Newcastle City Library and Kirklees Libraries between 27th October - 19th November 2021

P284 Evaluation of a self-management smartphone app for those living with Sjögren’s syndrome: a fully remote randomised pilot and feasibility trial

Background/Aims People with Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) experience a range of symptoms, including dryness, pain, fatigue, and poor sleep. Pharmacological management is limited, and SS patients may not have timely access to non-pharmacological support with these symptoms. Accessible evidence-based support via an app may benefit some. An evidence-based app (Sjogo) was co-developed with SS patients through a series of focus groups and workshops (n = 7). Alongside the workshops, behaviour change techniques and evidence-based intervention components were identified from the literature and known evidence-based interventions and were discussed with participants in focus groups. An app was developed containing active ingredients (e.g. features supporting behaviour change, validation of experiences, reflective activity diary, goal setting, cognitive behaviour therapy for sleep) to facilitate participation in daily activities and support symptom management. An additional control app was developed which contained “information only” content. We conducted a fully remote pilot feasibility RCT of the app. The aim of the study was to test trial procedures including recruitment rates, outcome completion, and engagement with the app. Methods The Sjogo app was released internationally for 8 weeks on Android and iOS app stores in January 2021. Potential participants were alerted to the trial through social media and patient groups. Those who downloaded the app were guided through in-app study procedures (screening, informed consent, demographic questions and baseline symptom, patient activation and quality of life outcome completion). Outcome measures included ESSPRI, Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, depression (VAS), anxiety (VAS), Sleep Condition Index, PAM-10 and ICECAP-A. Participants were randomised to an information-version (control) or full-version of Sjogo containing features supporting behaviour change. Users could engage with Sjogo as they wished and were asked to complete outcomes at baseline, 5 and 10 weeks. Results 996 participants from 33 countries downloaded Sjogo, with 617 (61.95%) completing the onboarding procedures and consenting to participate in the study. These participants were randomised to the full-version of the app (n = 318) or control-version (n = 299). Participants were mostly female (95.62%) iOS users (55.11%) from the UK (54.62%) or USA (28.92%) with a mean age of 50.97 (SD 13.75). Outcome completion rates at 5 and 10 weeks were 29.24% and 13.52% respectively for the full-version and 44.48% and 28.42% for the control-version. Conclusion Completion rates demonstrate that Sjogo can be evaluated in a real-world context in a fully powered RCT with large numbers of participants over a short timescale. However, maintaining engagement rates is challenging. App design could be optimised to maintain effective engagement with the app and support behaviour change. A process evaluation which includes further analysis of app engagement data and interviews with participants will further inform improvements to app content, features and trial procedures

Proximity-based location sensing using RFID technology

© 2014 Dr. Parvin Asadzadeh BirjandiThis thesis investigates the use of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology for localization and tracking. RFID is an automatic identification technology that plays a key role in ubiquitous computing applications. It is a promising technology for the purpose of object localization and tracking due to its advantages such as reasonable price, contactless communications, high data rate and non line-of-sight readability. In their simplest form, RFID readers provide only presence information of the tags in their vicinity. Space partitioning utilizes this simple capability and provides a fundamental technique for a variety of localization and tracking applications. The underlying idea is to discretize a physical space into uniquely identifiable partitions. There are two ways of achieving space partitions. (I) An RIFD-enabled object can be sensed via different RFID readers, and each partition is uniquely determined by those readers that can detect the object. (II) Alternatively, the environment can be supplied with RFID tags, for example a carpet may be fitted with hundreds or thousands of RFID tags, and a position can be computed via a mobile RFID reader using the tags in reading range. Obtaining a deeper fundamental understanding of the space partitioning technique using RFID technology is the overall objective of this thesis. The results of this thesis are presented in three chapters. Reader-based space partitioning in RFID systems: This chapter includes a theoretical and computational investigation of reader arrangements to provide an optimal partitioning of a deployment area. The number of generated distinguishable partitions can be used as an approximate measure to determine the localization accuracy. We provide an upperbound on the number of distinguishable partitions a deployment area can be divided into, given a specific number of readers equipped with either omni-directional or directional ntennas. Omni-directional antennas can detect the presence of a tag from any direction within a specific distance; whereas, directional antennas have a limited range and can only determine the presence of a tag within a sector. Further, we propose arrangements of both directional and omni-directional antennas which create the number of distinguishable partitions asymptotically equivalent to the calculated upperbounds. Tag-based space partitioning in RFID systems: This chapter includes a theoretical and computational investigation of the k-coverage problem in tag-based partitioned spaces utilizing regular tag arrangements. K-coverage is a fundamental problem in tag-based partitioned spaces and provides many advantages including increased robustness with regard of tag failures and higher degree of resolution. It ensures that at least k tags can be read from any point within the deployment area. We investigate and compare the three regular tag arrangements – triangular, square and hexagonal tag arrangements – to provide k-coverage of an area for every k greater than one. Further, we show that the regular tag arrangements are preferable to uniform random tag arrangements to k-cover a deployment area in terms of tag density. Further, we compare different regular tag arrangements in terms of their robustness to tag placement errors and inclination of the deployment area. A real-time gesture recognition system employing RFID reader-based space partitioning technique: Because of the various error sources in RFID systems, reliable operation as the tags move in the environment is inherently difficult and presents a significant challenge. To verify and evaluate RFID localization in real application scenarios, we design and implement a real-time gesture recognition technique. Our proposed technique uses reader-based space partitioning to track passive RFID tag motions in practical situations. We use multiple hypothesis tracking and combined tags to overcome uncertainties inherent in RFID systems. The experiments show that the proposed real-time gesture recognition technique has an accuracy between 88% and 96%

Gesture recognition using RFID technology

We propose a gesture recognition technique based on RFID: cheap and unintrusive passive RFID tags can be easily attached to or interweaved into user clothes, which are then read by RFID antennas. These readings can be used to recognize hand gestures, which enable interaction with applications in an RFID-enabled environment. For instance, it allows people to interact with large displays in public collaboration spaces without the need to carry a dedicated device. We propose the use of multiple hypothesis tracking and the use of subtag count information to track the motion patterns of passive RFID tags. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first on motion pattern tracking using passive RFID tags. Despite the reading uncertainties inherent in passive RFID technology, our experiments show that the proposed gesture recognition technique has an accuracy of up to 93%