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Mapping welfare

Several studies have suggested that precision livestock farming (PLF) is a useful tool foranimal welfare management and assessment. Location, posture and movement of an individual are key elements in identifying the animal and recording its behaviour. Currently, multiple technologies are available for automated monitoring of the location of individual animals, ranging from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to ultra-wideband (UWB), RFID, wireless sensor networks (WSN) and even computer vision. These techniques and developments all yield potential to manage and assess animal welfare, but also have their constraints, such as range and accuracy. Combining sensors such as accelerometers with any location determining technique into a sensor fusion systemcan give more detailed information on the individual cow, achieving an even more reliable and accurate indication of animal welfare. We conclude that location systems are a promising approach to determining animal welfare, especially when applied in conjunction with additional sensors, but additional research focused on the use of technology in animal welfare monitoring is needed.

Inventarisatie textielintegreerbare sensoren voor SaxShirt

In het SaxShirt-project wordt een comfortabel shirt ontwikkeld waarmee fysiologische aspecten van de drager kunnen worden gemeten, zonder dat de drager daar extra inspanning voor hoeft te leveren. Dergelijke technologieën noemen we Zero Effort Technologies (Baecker, 2011). De belangrijkste fysiologische aspecten die in eerste instantie gemeten gaan worden zijn: 1)    temperatuur 2)    hartslag 3)    ademhaling. Het project is gestart in september 2013. Het doel is om in oktober 2014 een praktisch demonstratiemodel te hebben van het shirt waarmee de mogelijkheden van de huidige technologie kunnen worden gedemonstreerd. Het is belangrijk dat het shirt niet alleen comfortabel zit, maar ook robuust en eenvoudig te wassen en reinigen is. Voorafgaand aan dit project zijn er al verscheidene onderzoeken en ontwikkelingen geweest om mogelijkheden voor het shirt te onderzoeken. Om een definitief implementatieplan te kunnen opstellen voor het huidige project, was er behoefte om nog eenmaal een korte verbredende onderzoeksfase uit te voeren. Dit rapport is het resultaat van deze fase. Na de verbredende fase zijn in november 2013 besluiten genomen en is begonnen aan de implementatie van het demonstratiemodel. De belangrijke momenten staan in onderstaand overzicht: • Oktober 2013: Start SaxShirt Project • November 2013: Vaststellen Plan van Aanpak (PvA) voor implementatie • Juli 2014: Afronden implementatie • Oktober 2014: Oplevering eerste demonstratiemodel SaxShirt Dit rapport beschrijft de state-of-the art van technieken waarmee bovenstaande fysiologische aspecten kunnen worden gemeten. Het doel van dit rapport is om een overzicht van in textiel-integreerbare fysiologische sensoren te geven. Dit overzicht dient als basis en discussiestuk voor het pan van aanpak voor de implementatie en kan worden gebruikt als introductie voor nieuwe medewerkers op het SaxShirt project.

Load and performance monitoring in wheelchair court sports: A narrative review of the use of technology and practical recommendations

Quantifying measures of physical loading has been an essential part of performance monitoring within elite able-bodied sport, facilitated through advancing innovative technology. In wheelchair court sports (WCS) the inter-individual variability of physical impairments in the athletes increases the necessity for accurate load and performance measurements, while at the same time standard load monitoring methods (e.g. heart-rate) often fail in this group and dedicated WCS performance measurement methods are scarce. The objective of this review was to provide practitioners and researchers with an overview and recommendations to underpin the selection of suitable technologies for a variety of load and performance monitoring purposes specific to WCS. This review explored the different technologies that have been used for load and performance monitoring in WCS. During structured field testing, magnetic switch based devices, optical encoders and laser systems have all been used to monitor linear aspects of performance. However, movement in WCS is multidirectional, hence accelerations, decelerations and rotational performance and their impact on physiological responses and determination of skill level, is also of interest. Subsequently both for structured field testing as well as match-play and training, inertial measurement units mounted on wheels and frame have emerged as an accurate and practical option for quantifying linear and non-linear movements. In conclusion, each method has its place in load and performance measurement, yet inertial sensors seem most versatile and accurate. However, to add context to load and performance metrics, position-based acquisition devices such as automated image-based processing or local positioning systems are required.

Real-time location systems in nursing homes

Purpose – In the domain of healthcare, both process efficiency and the quality of care can be improved through the use of dedicated pervasive technologies. Among these applications are so-called real-time location systems (RTLS). Such systems are designed to determine and monitor the location of assets and people in real time through the use of wireless sensor networks. Numerous commercially available RTLS are used in hospital settings. The nursing home is a relatively unexplored context for the application of RTLS and offers opportunities and challenges for future applications. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This paper sets out to provide an overview of general applications and technologies of RTLS. Thereafter, it describes the specific healthcare applications of RTLS, including asset tracking, patient tracking and personnel tracking. These overviews are followed by a forecast of the implementation of RTLS in nursing homes in terms of opportunities and challenges. Findings – By comparing the nursing home to the hospital, the RTLS applications for the nursing home context that are most promising are asset tracking of expensive goods owned by the nursing home in orderto facilitate workflow and maximise financial resources, and asset tracking of personal belongings that may get lost due to dementia. Originality/value – This paper is the first to provide an overview of potential application of RTLS technologies for nursing homes. The paper described a number of potential problem areas that can be addressed by RTLS. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited Original article: https://doi.org/10.1108/JET-11-2017-0046 For this paper Joost van Hoof received the Highly Recommended Award from Emerald Publishing Ltd. in October 2019: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/authors/literati/awards.htm?year=2019

The City as Black Box: Navigating Through the Surplus of Information

Tools or toys for healthcare

Smart glasses have the potential to transform healthcare, but their acceptance and use are under pressure due to concerns about social interaction around smart glasses, such as privacy, intended use, and the social isolation of the user. However, the value is seen in healthcare, where they could potentially help manage demographic changes and growing staff shortages. This dissertation poses questions about the acceptance and appropriation of smart glasses in healthcare, including social and ethical implications. Under the premise that humans and technology mutually influence each other, a theoretical framework has been constructed to investigate the complexity of both acceptance and social interaction around smart glasses. In this dissertation, theoretical perspectives from technology acceptance and social cognitive theory are combined with the mediation perspective from philosophy of technology to better understand the appropriation of smart glasses. Through multiple studies, including analyses of YouTube comments, focus groups, a developed and validated questionnaire, and interviews with healthcare professionals, a detailed portrayal of the potential and challenges associated with the appropriation of smart glasses is provided. The results show that although there may initially be concerns and resistance, the perception of smart glasses can change positively after prolonged use. This dissertation emphasizes the importance of studying the appropriation of technology at different stages of diffusion and from different perspectives, to get a richer and more comprehensive picture of how innovations like smart glasses can best be integrated into healthcare.