Epy Drost as a Living Lab

This project aimed to research the use of big data
collection and analysis to design game-based
interventions to increase physical and social behavior.
While initially the context of use was Saxion’s Epy Drost
building, during the project this was broadened to include
stadiums. Multiple prototypes that aim to increase the
cohesiveness of people in the building were developed,
each one exploring different devices (sensors, actuators)
that could be used: mobile, smart wearables, projections,
etc. In the stadium context, one prototype, which used
smart wearables linked to a smartphone, to increase fan
engagement was developed. For the data collection and
analysis, indoor Wi-Fi tracking algorithms were explored
within the context of buildings, and an attendance
prediction model was developed for Heracles Almelo.
A Pioneers in Healthcare voucher was won for a project
tackling the playful encouragement of home spirometry
measurements during the first year of the project, and
currently one RAAK MKB and one RAAK Publiek proposal
are being developed as the result of the work,
collaboration, and network developed during the postdoc.

A world where technology is ubiquitous and embedded in our daily lives is becoming increasingly likely. To prepare our students to live and work in such a future, we propose to turn Saxion’s Epy-Drost building into a living lab environment. This will entail setting up and drafting the proper infrastructure and agreements to collect people’s location and building data (e.g. temperature, humidity) in Epy-Drost, and making the data appropriately available to student and research projects within Saxion.

With regards to this project’s effect on education, we envision the proposal of several derived student projects which will provide students the opportunity to work with huge amounts of data and state-of-the-art natural interaction interfaces. Through these projects, students will acquire skills and knowledge that are necessary in the current and future labor-market, as well as get experience in working with topics of great importance now and in the near future. This is not only aligned with the Creative Media and Game Technologies (CMGT) study program’s new vision and focus on interactive technology, but also with many other education programs within Saxion.

In terms of research, the candidate Postdoc will study if and how the data, together with the building’s infrastructure, can be leveraged to promote healthy behavior through playful strategies. In other words, whether we can persuade people in the building to be more physically active and engage more in social interactions through data-based gamification and building actuation. This fits very well with the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) research group’s agenda in Augmented Interaction, and CMGT’s User Experience line.

Overall, this project will help spark and solidify lasting collaboration links between AmI and CMGT, give body to AmI’s new Augmented Interaction line, and increase Saxion’s level of education through the dissemination of knowledge between researchers, teachers and students.