Author: stavroulla

The project’s second meeting was organized in Brno, Czech Republic, on September 27&28, 2021. It was a hybric meeting, with some partners attending it physically and others online.

Starting with a welcoming presentation the leading partners of the project, the partners introduced themselves, proceeded to discuss curriculum and innovative learning scenarios and decided on their next steps.

The SEIT Lab’s team (UCY) attended the meeting physically and included Constantinos Xenofontos and Marios Kyprianou.

What are we without memory? It is possible to face daily challenges by forgetting who we are or the name of the objects that surround us.

Memory is a territory still to be explored for science, but research is well underway. 

The term memory indicates cognitive capacity thanks to which we are able to store data and carry out actions. 

The valuable activity carried out by the faculty of remembering and is divided into

• long-term memory (indefinite duration)
• short-term memory (small amount of information for 20/30 seconds)

Daily activities are characterized by recurring gestures. If we wanted to present an example, we could resort to the procedural memory that we activate when we are driving: we learn a series of actions that, repeated frequently, do not come to consciousness and are performed automatically. It emerges by itself that memory is the control center of our activities, and must be preserved. However, with advancing age it is possible to encounter some problems with the ability to remember, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

These disorders are characterized by the inability to perform simple functions, also compromising the autobiographical memory and the relationship with loved ones.

The difficulties do not only involve the person affected by the disorder, but also extend to the family, which will have to constantly monitor the elderly. 

Memory-related functions don’t just affect the older.

Implementing tools to support “weak” people pursues a double objective: to protect the health of those affected by these diseases and to alleviate the concerns of families.

ESticky acts as a technological link between individuals and families, ensuring the transmission of information on the activities undertaken during the day.

Communications and technology influence each other. When health problems arise, devices equipped with artificial intelligence can help the psychophysical improvement of subjects.

Many studies are oriented towards the development of user friendly devices that can safeguard human autonomy and well-being.

A word that cannot be missing in the vocabulary of a good device – particularly if it has to support people suffering from complex diseases – is accessibility.

The eSticky project takes shape from the encounter between care and technological development

participates in the Suitceyes symposium, thanks to the contribution of @Harpo Sp. z o.o, with a speech aimed at emphasizing the importance of the display, as the main support tool for the elderly.

The Symposium promoted by SUITCEYES promotes discussion on life through the event – Living Through Touch – Smart, Haptic Communication for Inclusion, Accessibility, and Participation.

The event page is available at the following link https://suitceyes.eu/program/

The chromatic agreement or disagreement helps to define the device in terms of usability.

Furthermore, the choice of colors predominantly affects the emotions and predisposition of the subjects. The display is the interface with which we interact most and enhancing its appearance facilitates its usability.

People with senile dementia or Alzheimer’s cannot deal with complex or confusingly colored devices. Another aspect on which eSticky has focused with particular attention is the font of the texts, which participate in the effectiveness of the device.

Colors are an expression of our state of mind and what we want to convey: psychology is influenced by colors, and this internal dynamic is widely demonstrated by numerous scientific researches. In this context, the need emerges to develop a system aimed at enhancing the user through the digital experiential dimension, building a responsive display with a simplified interface. This is one of the topics covered in the eSticky meeting held in February and April.

The revolution brought about by the introduction of ICT (information communication technology) favors social well-being by introducing intelligent systems.

Emerging technologies, applied in every field, in order to obtain satisfactory results, require a solid phase of experimentation.

Great satisfaction for the first technical test of the eSticky hardware.

The company HICS, parent company of the eSticky project, starts the test phase on the hardware system of the digital post-it and the partners contribute to the start of the test.

The consortium, created to help people with cognitive difficulties related to the use of memory, invests in bluetooth low energy technology and wi-fi remote connection.

The hardware model designed for the use of eSticky is subjected to the first testing tests, with the aim of observing, evaluating and analyzing the results. 

Interface, usability and reaction times are part of the procedures belonging to the ICT dimension since they require empirical observation and verification.

The final test of a product is crucial for production and distribution on the market: if you are unable to pass the test phase, you need to review the entire hardware architecture.

Dementia doesn’t take a break in times of the coronavirus.

The circumstances caused by loneliness and less interaction have tended to exacerbate the situations for those affected and their relatives.

Therefore it was most important for us to listen to the concerns, worries and wishes of those affected, their relatives and carers mainly in relation to help, that our new eSticky product will be able to give.

In November and December 2020 we performed user tests of eSticky UI mockups. They were tested during the end user sessions in Poland and Austria.

Generally so far 27 users, primary, secondary and professional carers (9 men and 18 women in the age of 34-67 from urban and rural areas), have given their opinion. Their IT literacy was evenly spread among participating users between little, medium and high (but all users had at least a little experience with IT systems). Unfortunately, due to the regulations in force, most of the interviews in 2020 had to take place online.

The UI has been perceived positively in general. We were also able to take good suggestions and ideas with us and give them to our colleagues in the EU project for design and technical development.

The KickOff meeting took virtual place on November 23, 2020 on the MS Teams platform with participation of all project partners.

After the welcome presentation of the leader of the project (SAS), the leader presented Slovak Academy of Sciences, its research background and present activities and the base assumptions of the project.

During the second section of the meeting, all partners introduced themselves and then the ALIVE project overview, project timeline and budget were presented by the SAS. The project aim, target groups, work packages and lead partners were presented as well. Lastly, dates for all transnational project meetings were discussed, and the partners’ next actions were decided upon.

ESticky is configured as a digital post-it able to communicate information and transmit notifications.

In the last meeting held by the partners it was possible to analyze and discuss the 9 essential characters that make up the morphology of the device, such as the display – evaluating its size and brightness – the insertion of a LED light to visually reinforce the message or the expected energy consumption.

Dwelling on how the eSticky box must be assembled is an essential element for good operation. If the device is not designed and optimized for the established purpose, it will be not very adaptive and will not be able to offer the requested help. This design phase is delicate, and each partner has contributed energetically to ensure that the product has a positive outcome. Choosing to be able to implement acoustic or light devices in the system to reinforce the meaning of the message is a valid help. 

In light of the considerations that emerged from the eSticky team meeting, it is necessary to collaborate to achieve high performance.

The eSticky project is proceeding at full speed and the researches oriented to its functioning are more and more precise.

One of the aspects that deserves attention is the application of industrial design, the purpose of which is to be able to optimize ergonomic and functional systems and products through the use of “scientific design”. Designing an aesthetically pleasing product, through a highly technical design, allows you to create quality products with a decidedly positive feedback.

It should be emphasized that, in projects such as eSticky, good design and good usability are the undisputed protagonists in making the user experience enjoyable, especially if the products are aimed at elderly people with problems related to the functioning of memory.

Helping those suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia is possible, but a substantial technological, social and communicative effort must be made so that these people can preserve their autonomy in daily actions: thanks to the development of eSticky simple routine gestures, such as hiring a medication, they will never take a back seat.

The purpose of the device is to be able to convey information clearly and transparently to people with memory impairments, but the project also symbolizes more.

The interface becomes a second skin, and the display is not perceived as an external body.

This consideration opens the reflection to an even more effective and inclusive communication plan.

The realization of a European project requires that the communicative aspect be studied in detail: not only for the possibility of being able to choose the language with which to interact through the device, but also, and above all, for the technological and social relevance that development of this device represents.

The communication strategy is the strong point in an international project since it is only as a function of an effective communication plan that it is possible to understand and what are the advantages deriving from the digital post-it.

In June, the partners proudly reached the first objectives of the project, also choosing the communication systems suitable for the dissemination of the project’s purpose, outlining challenges and opportunities belonging to the communicative sphere.

Focusing on the design phase and building a solid system architecture is crucial for the success of a product. The aim of the eSticky project is to support people with memory problems, so that they can maintain their autonomy of life. In order to develop a functional and safe device, it is of primary importance to conceive a strong and robust hardware structure that can ensure the operation of the device. Another element to be developed with extreme attention is the software platform, which makes device activity possible.

The technology chosen to design the digital post-it is User Friendly.

This solution offers an immediate and simplified interface with intuitive operation, thus involving the user; in this project it is necessary to enhance the simplicity of the device since it must represent a help for those who use it, and must not generate confusion or further problems. ESticky technology chooses the user-friendly navigation mode with the aim of being an efficient tool: from minimalist and captivating aesthetics to error reporting with easily understandable visual language.

With the health emergency, the traditional kick off meeting was held online thanks to the Skype platform! 

The seven partners involved in the creation of eSticky, despite the difficulties, carry out the project that helps people with memory disorders to remember.

E-Sticky, in fact, is proposed as an innovative product; the ambition is to become a point of reference in the European context. During this first meeting, the work areas of the various partners were defined and the objectives to be achieved were identified.

The project is ambitious and involves various processes including the management part, industrial design, user involvement, etc.

The protagonists of the project, with the lead company HICS, come from different sectors and will contribute through a stimulating collaboration to the realization of the project.

HICS

It operates in the “Smart Living” sector with solutions that facilitate daily life. Among its main projects, the HICSPERIENCE product line is designed to simplify the interaction of Home and Building Automation systems and Internet of Thing solutions.

will guide the marketing of the final product, coordinating the entire project.

KI-I

Austrian company deals with the improvement of the living conditions of people with disabilities and the elderly.

He will work on the design of the user interface, the development of the web portal and smartphone apps.

UNIVERSITY of CYPRUS

UCY deals with research in the fields of Software Engineering, Internet and Mobile Technologies, e-Health and e-Learning. In this project, UCY provides its knowledge and experience regarding middleware platforms.

HARPO

It is a Polish research center that deals with assistive technology for people with disabilities. It will guide user engagement processes and, through the monitoring and evaluation of user tests, will constantly provide feedback.

ASSISTENZ 24 

Non-profit organization that administers a wide range of assistance services, with particular attention to people with mental and physical disabilities. A24 will mainly deal with User Involvement activities.

WERNER DAXBERGER

He is an Austrian product designer with a long experience in the design of aesthetic products. In the eSticky project, Werner Daxberger will design an effective and successful product.

X-VISIONS

Gerd Rosenauer is a product designer. Since 2000, as an independent entrepreneur, he has been taking care of clients with particular attention to technical implementation in the design process. With Werner Daxberger he will take care of the Industrial Design activities.

The eSticky project stems from the need to develop a device that is a valid support tool for people with memory dysfunctions. 

Memory is what allows us to build our identity, defining who we are.

In old age, neuronal plasticity and activities related to the hippocampus (brain area responsible for memory) tend to undergo a drastic arrest; many disorders related to the onset of dementia are disabling and affect a large number of the elderly.

Memory-related disorders require continuous monitoring because we forget the most elementary, but at the same time fundamental, activities.

Taking into consideration the case of an elderly woman who has to take a drug every day, it is vital to have a “good memory”. Family members of elderly people, if alone, live in a condition of perennial anxiety because they cannot always send alerts on which drugs to take. The technology in this field, and not only, offers a precious help: numerous devices have been designed that can monitor activities, using the internet and artificial intelligence systems. This is why e-Sticky was born, whose goal is to support elderly people to preserve the autonomy of daily life.

The new device, funded thanks to the European project AAL PROGRAMS, and the collaboration of seven partner companies (HICS SRL, KI-I – Competence Network, University of Cyprus, Harpo Sp. z o.o., Werner Daxberger aesthetic design, Gerd Rosenauer industrial design engineering , Assistenz24 gemeinnützige GmbH) will be a digital Post-it that will help older people remember commitments and small daily appointments, while also connecting the device with families.