Category: Theses

SmartRecovery: tests with patients

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The Master Thesis “Gait analysis in patients recovering from total joint replacement using body fixed sensors” (SmartRecovery) aims to study the gait of patients after a Total Knee Replacement (TKR), by measuring body movements, body mechanics and the activity of the muscles.

Several tests were conducted with the experimental group, comprised by patients recovering from TKR, and the control group, comprised by senior volunteers of COLABORAR. The tests took place respectively at the hospital and at Fraunhofer. The tests with volunteers will enable to differentiate the gait of patients who underwent a Total Knee Replacement and highlight the changes of gait between them and the people who did not undergo surgery for TKR.

NeuropathyDetect: tests for early detection of Neuropathy in people with Diabetes

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Some patients affected by Diabetes could develop Peripherical Neuropathy. At Fraunhofer Portugal, in the scope of the Master Thesis NeuropathyDetect, researchers are studying the gait of people with Diabetes. COLABORAR recruited volunteers for the tests, consisting in gait tests using sensors. Researchers could analyse the walking patterns of people with and without diabetes.

Thank you to all the participants, both at the centers and Fraunhofer’s facilities, for participating in the tests, allowing researchers to take an important step towards the identification of early signs of peripheral neuropathy in people with Diabetes.

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Focus group on wearable sensors: participation of older adults

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Wearable sensors seem promising for increasing safety, independence and well-being among older adults. Some concerns seniors may have, such as falls and chronic diseases, might be minimized and managed in the near future through these small devices, as long as older adults keep them close to their bodies. Wearing a device for 24 hours is only possible if the device is comfortable and if  aesthetic issues are addressed as well. But what are the requests from the seniors? Better to hear from them. In order to do so, COLABORAR organized a Focus group with some seniors to help researchers understand their points of view.

“Does the device resist water? It has to be something like  a watch or a bracelet, because it is important to keep the sensors with us when we are in the shower.”

And how  would you use it outdoors? Do you prefer a device to be attached to your clothes?

“Only if the device is small, we can use it pinned to the sweater.”

Don’t you prefer the device to be pinned to the belt?

“I don’ use a belt very often.”

And in this way, ideas flowed spontaneously. Everyone could express their opinion regarding wearable sensors, as well as their concerns and expectations about using these devices.

COLABORAR thanks our friends from the user network for always accepting the challenges.

LiteracyTracker: children test mobile application

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In the scope of the Master Thesis entitled LiteracyTracker, a mobile application has been developed to access and monitor the literacy level of children in Sub-Saharan Africa. The application consists of a small group of exercises, in English, that requires short answers and is based on gamification techniques.

In a 1st phase, it was necessary to analyze the interaction of Portuguese students with basic English knowledge with a first version of the application. Then, we asked some young students of Porto to give us a hand testing the first version of the application. Each child performed the test on the smartphone with the application and solved the exercises.

Based on the results from this observation study and on the suggestions made by the students, researchers improved the application that can now be tested in Africa.

COLABORAR expresses its gratitude to all children who participated in the tests , as well as to their parents and teachers for their permissions.

Kneegraphy: tests with volunteers

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In the scope of the Master Thesis “Classification of knee arthropathy with accelerometer-based vibroarthrography” (KneeGraphy), researchers are studying the knees of people with knee osteo-arthropathy, which is a condition that affects many seniors. In order to do so, researchers are developing an accelerometer-based system for knee data acquisition and data feature extraction for the differentiation between a pathological and a non-pathological knee. Several tests were conducted with seniors diagnosed with knee osteo-arthropathy and other volunteers for the control group.

Tests for the thesis mActivityClassify

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A prototype has been developed in the scope of the master thesis mActivityClassify. This is a solution that allows to classify activities of daily living. It consists of a real time classification algorithm using an Android smartphone in the pocket and an external smartwatch in the forearm. We asked participants to try out the system, by making some everyday gestures we use in activities of daily living.

The correct assessment of different activities can  be directly applied in the gamification of rehabilitation exercises for patients in the process of post-stroke rehabilitation.

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ExerGames and ExerBalance tested by volunteers

If we add a playful component through games to the conventional gymnastics exercises, the result is a platform of serious games. It is so called because they are games and because they have a serious purpose: fall prevention.

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Falls are an important problem among the elders. According to Sociedade Portuguesa de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, 30% of seniors have experienced a fall at least once. Our proximity to the seniors of the user network COLABORAR allows us know that 52% of the COLABORAR’s seniors have also experienced a fall, at least once. In addition to the high mortality and morbidity rates, the fear of falling is a serious concern among seniors and can even limit their activities.

The games of the ExerGames, developed in the scope of the Fall Competence Center (FCC) of Fraunhofer Portugal, were developed so that elders can perform exercises of muscle strengthening and balance training at home and have fun doing while doing it, reducing their fall risk.

In this testing phase, researchers want to know if all games are intuitive and, on the other hand, if the functioning is appropriate, bearing in mind that there are different patterns of use.

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A group of volunteers have already tested the ExerGames: both the user interfaces and the execution of the gym workouts. For these testing sessions, we had the new TV interfaces and a  platform that enables full-body tracking and body balance. The integration of this platform in the ExerGames was made in the scope of a master thesis entitled ExerBalance and received an excellent feedback from the participants as well. The ExerBalance might be used in the future, in the process of rehabilitation of persons with balance instability.

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Elders and the Internet: a special browser

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Elders do like Internet and those who have access to it really enjoy the possibility of searching for topics of their interest. However, not all seniors are proficient users of the Internet and may find it difficult to navigate the web. Bearing this in mind, researchers at Fraunhofer Portugal are re-designing web browsers, making them more simple and intuitive. In the scope of a Master thesis, it a mobile application for smartphones and tablets has been developed, consisting of a browser for older adults in accordance with the expectations and needs of the senior users. Older adults were called to test the new application and help researchers validate it.

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Tests for EMGesture: using electromyography sensors in rehabilitation

May is that time of the year when the Master students are counting down the days to finish their theses. And after a period of hard work developing new Information and Communication solutions, this is also the moment to test their features. They know they can count on the volunteers of COLABORAR to help in that important phase.

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In the scope of the Master Thesis EMGesture, we asked participants to use sensors of surface electromyography and also inertial measurement sensors attached to the arm and perform some hand, wrist and forearm gestures. At the same time, students were verifying the correct functioning and accuracy of the system by analysing the detection of arm movements and the recognition of the hand gestures.

This technology is very promising, as it can be applied not only in the context of human-computer interaction, but also in the areas of functional rehabilitation and fall prevention.

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Seniors help researchers develop wearable devices

Wearable sensors enable the assessment of multiple parameters and this information can be used to prevent falls and manage chronic diseases.

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As these devices are close to one’s body, it is important that the devices are comfortable and easy to use. Since older adults are a major beneficiary user group regarding these devices, it is necessary to bear in mind physical, ergonomics, psychological and usability constrains, so that a new solution addressing all these aspects can be created. This is the purpose of a Master Thesis/Fraunhofer’s project named Design of wearable sensing devices. Seniors of COLABORAR were called to participate by trying out many commercially available devices and by sharing their preferences, enabling researchers to implement participatory design methods.

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In the end, researchers will propose a new wearable device that matches the needs and preferences of older adults, supporting independence and safety at the same time.