Research Project
The present project is framed within the grand challenge of improving health nation-wide of the research network of Information and Communication Technologies of the Mexican government research council (CONACYT). In particular, this project explores different ways in which ubiquitous computing can help to alleviate some of the more pressing issues in public health especially from the point of view of changing the paradigm in the health model; from the current model based on treatment, to a preventive model. The general goal of the project is to coordinate and create synergies from individual efforts currently being made by Mexican researchers, that are currently carried out uncoordinatedly.
The project plans to tackles this coordinating effort with a plan covering four action areas:
We expect that following this project the research in ubiquitous computing that is currently being carried out in Mexico consolidates, and becomes a significant force in shifting the health paradigm. We further expect this project to promote the participation of the society in public health in general. The social impact of this proposal is wide with different strata benefiting from the project:
The project plans to tackles this coordinating effort with a plan covering four action areas:
- 1. Intensify interaction among researchers
- 2. Strengthening the ubiquitous computing laboratories and facilities
- 3. Improve communication between researchers and clinical pairs
- 4. Boost the social awareness regarding health problems and how ubiquitous computing can help to alleviate some of these
We expect that following this project the research in ubiquitous computing that is currently being carried out in Mexico consolidates, and becomes a significant force in shifting the health paradigm. We further expect this project to promote the participation of the society in public health in general. The social impact of this proposal is wide with different strata benefiting from the project:
- Labs and researchers currently working in ubiquitous computing applied to health and biomedicine will see their facilities improved and will have an outstanding opportunity to more closely interact with pairs
- The Mexican public health system will have a range of new technologies at their disposal; technologies that should favour the preventive approach
- The medical community will have in general a wider access to currently existing and coming ubiquitous computing technologies as well as additional resources for learning the
- A particular target of the project are the elderly, a group from the society who could particularly benefit from ubiquitous computing. Also their relatives, which can additionally learn about how to take advantage of these new technologies.
- Those sectors of the society at risk of getting certain diseases such as diabetes or stroke, both with high prevalence among Mexicans.
Objectives
Following, the project aims and tasks are summarized.
General objective
Coordinating the research efforts currently being undertaken in Mexico about ubiquitous computing applied to health as a foundational step to support a change in paradigm from treatment based to preventive.
Specific Aims
Action areas and specific tasks
Action Area A: Intensify interaction among researchers
Action Area B: Strengthening the ubiquitous computing laboratories and facilities
Action Area C: Improve communication between researchers and clinical pairs
Action Area D: Boost the social awareness regarding health problems and how ubiquitous computing can help to alleviate some of these
General objective
Coordinating the research efforts currently being undertaken in Mexico about ubiquitous computing applied to health as a foundational step to support a change in paradigm from treatment based to preventive.
Specific Aims
- 1. To facilitate synergies among researchers and laboratories involved
- 2. To motivate computing researchers to become more deeply familiarized with the clinical point of view
- 3. To foster research in ubiquitous computing applied to public health and biomedicine and to encourage collaboration among research groups working in the area
- 4. To strengthen the available infrastructure to carry out cutting edge research in ubiquitous computing
- 5. To demonstrate the potential of ubiquitous computing technologies by specific developments in a target population; the elderly.
- 6. To capitalize on the benefits that tele-attention can bring to a population lacking basic health services
Action areas and specific tasks
Action Area A: Intensify interaction among researchers
- A.1: Start up research projects among involved participants
- A.2: Hold general meetings of the consortium
- A.3: Co-supervised thesis develop inter-institutionally
Action Area B: Strengthening the ubiquitous computing laboratories and facilities
- B.1: Development and patenting of a controller for the virtual rehabilitation platform Gesture Therapy
- B.2: Development of a prototype for patient recognition based on RFID technology guaranteeing patient self-sufficiency in using the Gesture Therapy platform
- B.3: Assessment of a platform for monitoring physical activity and inducing behavioural changes
- B.4: Development of environmental screens to provide feedback to patients in order to encourage behavioural changes
- B.5: Development of a mobile system to provide information to carers about movement patterns, sounds and cry of babies to assist in their care.
- B.6: Development of a tool for estimating risk of diabetes for the Mexican population, i.e. using data from Mexican society
- B.7: Development of an interface for choosing virtual rehabilitation environments for the platform Gesture Therapy using one of the platform controllers as interaction device, thus facilitating independence of the patient from third parties.
- B.8: Design of a haptic controller for virtual rehabilitation
- B.9: Development of a mobile system for remote monitoring of biomedical data for patients of diabetes Type 2.
Action Area C: Improve communication between researchers and clinical pairs
- C.1: Attending scientific conferences of interest
- C.2: Spending research stays and secondments in laboratories outside of Mexico of world-wide recognized prestige in ubiquitous computing
Action Area D: Boost the social awareness regarding health problems and how ubiquitous computing can help to alleviate some of these
- D.1: Development of a preventive public health hub
- D.2: Planning a public health observatory