Realising the Promise of Technology: How People Make All the Difference

transcript

A University of Ulster Innovation Lab visit trail.ulster.ac.uk

Realising the Promise of Technology: How People Make All the Difference Maurice Mulvenna TRAIL Living Lab, University of Ulster

Workshop on Cognitive Support Technology for Older People

Organised by EU-funded projects:

Goldsmiths, University of

London 15th Dec 2010

Goldsmiths, University of London 15th Dec 2010

Outline

¨  Recent research from Ofcom Advisory Committee on Older and Disabled people (ACOD) ¤ Potential benefits of next-generation services

¨  Research project work from our living lab ¤ COGKNOW ¤ NOCTURNAL ¤ PEOPPLE ¤ BRAIN ¤ MyHealth@Age

¨  General Perspectives & Observations

“generate new conceptual frameworks for how to advance

and promote AT research for older people”

Potential benefits of next-generation services

¨  To identify: ¤ New and near-future Next Generation Services that

have the potential to benefit older and disabled people’s lives n  Includes existing services that could be enriched as a result

of faster broadband connections

¤ Potential benefits from such services ¤ Risks and challenges to potential benefit realisation ¤ Examining health and wellbeing, work and education,

leisure as well as other day-to-day services

¨  Key risks and challenges identified include: ¤ Accessibility ¤ Logistics, e.g. seamless technical integration ¤  Impact, e.g. potential for increased isolation or

dependence

Issues

¨  Infrastructure: ensuring adequate, reliable network infrastructure and connectivity;

¨  Usability and accessibility: international co-ordination to support development of accessible products

¨  Cost: ensuring people are not excluded due to affordability

¨  Implementation: more coordinated interaction between stakeholders to minimise the logistical risks

¨  To develop and evaluate a user-validated remotely configurable cognitive prosthetic device with associated services for people with mild dementia

¨  Helping people navigate their day: ¤ Reminding function ¤ Activity support ¤ Activity assistance ¤ Safety warnings

¨  Provide therapeutic support and guidance to this group of people during the hours of darkness ¤  Investigate the needs of people with dementia at night

time ¤ Research new technological capabilities that support

sophisticated service offerings ¤ Offer therapeutic interventions using music and familiar

images of loved ones at bedside device ¤ Sleep measurements variables: quantity of sleep,

quality of sleep, rhythm of sleep

¨  Investigating the unmet needs of older people living in the local community (in a variety of living accommodation). This is being done by talking with older people in order to prioritise problems, seeking the best available evidence to meet needs, and working with people to implement and evaluate the evidence in practice.

¨  Significant technical complexity ¨  Getting results outside lab is still

difficult ¨  Integration of technologies is

troublesome ¨  Consistency of results difficult to

achieve ¨  Need for person-centred approach ¨  Participants like being part of process

¨  New products and services are being developed through participatory research with elderly people and triple-helix partners in Northern Ireland, Norway, and Sweden

¨  The products and services focus on mobile safety alarms, prescribed self treatment and context aware dynamic social networks.

“generate new conceptual frameworks for how to advance

and promote AT research for older people”

Conceptual framework

¨  Living lab model ¤ Captures real needs at the beginning of the process ¤  Identifies new sources of innovation ¤ Can lessen risk and help accelerate innovation

¨  Lead users ¤ Those that very quickly understand the innovation

problem and articulate their needs because they have acute and latent needs

¤ Ensure higher validity; manage motivation and buy-in

General Perspectives & Observations

¨  Areas for focus: ¤ Triple-helix models ¤ Supporting vulnerable people ¤ Managing the tension between user needs and

advancing the state of the art

¨  Conceptual frameworks – areas of need: ¤ Triple-helix models

¨  Conceptual frameworks – areas of need: ¤ Supporting vulnerable people

n  Interact with vulnerable people in an equitable manner n Respecting their needs and wishes ethically n Adhere to relevant legislative provision in the field of ethics n All stakeholder organisations who are responsible for

managing adherence to ethical guidelines do so

¨  Conceptual frameworks – areas of need: ¤ Managing the tension between user needs and

advancing the state of the art n Balance of the management of innovation activities n Focuses on the innovation stages:

n  Ideation, n  Co-creation n  Evaluation;

n Degree of ‘user-driven-ness’ v. state-of-the-art advancement.

Conclusions

¨  Significant body of academic research that supports the premise that user-driven innovation creates value in markets and for society

¨  The network of living labs in Europe has been created, partly based upon this premise

¨  But it can be argued that there is a lack of evidence that demonstrates how such living labs articulate their value proposition, and

¨  How they carry out activities on the ground to work with users to create the added valued inherent in early innovation processes.

Conclusions

¨  TRAIL has successfully built living lab concepts into research project activities

¨  This framework simply incorporates people as users (direct, intermediate, service) into our triple-helix model

¨  Works well to advance research agenda if managed correctly

¨  Framework is orientated to promote activities at local and other levels

Acknowledgements

¨  All at Ofcom, ACOD committee members especially Dr Laura Muir, and Dr Jonathan Freeman / Dr Jane Lessiter from I2 Research

¨  Persons with dementia and their carers who participated in the COGKNOW field tests in Amsterdam, Belfast and Luleå. The project was supported by the European Commission’s Information Society Technologies (IST) programme under grant 034025.

Acknowledgements

¨  Carers and people with dementia in Northern Ireland who contribute to the work of the Nocturnal project, which is supported by the United Kingdom Research Councils and the Technology Strategy Board’s Assisted Living Innovation Platform under grant award TS/G002452/1.

Acknowledgements

¨  Professor Tara Dean, Dr Amy Drahota, Chris Gale, Dia Soilemezi and all at School of Health Sciences & Social Work, University of Portsmouth

¨  HEIF Funding support

Acknowledgements

¨  All the persons who participate in the field tests in Cedar Foundation, Northern Ireland and in Spain. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement n° 224156.

Acknowledgements

¨  All the persons who participate in the field tests in Newry, Tromsø and Luleå for the project which is supported by the Northern Periphery Programme

¨  www.ofcom.org.uk ¨  www.ofcom.org.uk/about/how-ofcom-is-run/committees/older-

and-disabled-people/research

¨  www.cogknow.eu

¨  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKJTmzp33Z4

¨  www.nocturnalproject.co.uk ¨  www.port.ac.uk/research/shsswresearch/projects/

peoppleproject

¨  www.brain-project.org

¨  www.myhealth-age.eu

…THANKS

Realising the Promise of Technology: How People Make All the Difference

Education