Digibox – communication platform to support nursing and care

The aim of the research project is to facilitate the everyday working life of caregivers through tailored digitization. For this purpose, the communication platform “AmigoBox” of the association OSSI Austria – Open Source for Social Inclusion Austria, which has already been tested with elderly persons, is used as a starting point. The innovative interaction concept using contactless NFC technology will be evaluated and discussed together with caregivers. Subsequently, possibilities for the supportive use in nursing will be designed, which facilitate the daily work. Concepts derived from this will subsequently be implemented iteratively and according to the principles of human-centered design and tested in practice.

Project Partners: OSSI Austria – Open Source for Social Inclusion Austria (Projektlead), Fachhochschule Technikum Wien

Duration: October 2022 – April 2024
Funds: Arbeiterkammer Österreich – Digifonds

Smart Companion 2 – everyday devices as useful helpers and assistance systems in emergency situations

Based on the findings of the previous project, we are creating a prototype and testing whether it can meet the expectations in a test environment. Particular attention is being paid to the key components of fall detection and systems that can independently call for help. These include:

  • active emergency calls (i.e., the user calls for help),
  • appropriate device responses to unusual situations (i.e., the user does not respond and the device independently detects the emergency), and
  • fall prevention functions (i.e., the user is warned of potential obstacles).

In developing the system, we focus our research on the needs of future users, implement voice interaction systems as they are the most inclusive way of communication, use machine learning for emergency detection, and emphasize privacy, user-friendliness, and comfort in operating the assistance system.

 

 

Project Partners: Fachhochschule St. Pölten GmbH (Projektlead), Robert Bosch AG, Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Gruppe Linz

Project Website: https://research.fhstp.ac.at/projekte/smart-companion-2
Duration: March 2022 – February 2025
Funds: FFG – IKT der Zukunft