Fraunhofer Center for Assistive Information and Communication Solutions – AICOSFraunhofer AICOS held a Fall Competence Center Workshop last June 23, at Porto, intended to promote the debate on fall detection and activity monitoring. This one-day workshop gathered several researchers who shared their knowledge and know-how on the matter. The result was an enlightening an enriching gathering where new ideas and projects started to gain shape.
Fraunhofer AICOS has currently quite a few projects under development related to fall detection and activity monitoring, namely SmartSurf, Exergames, SAFE, PIL, Mover, and Fall Risk Analysis. All these have been showcased at the workshop giving the opportunity to participants to better understand each of them.
Special highlight to the international presence of Dr. Andreu Català from Technical Research Centre for Dependency Care and Autonomous Living (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) who shared his experience on some research topics which most interest him such as Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Control Systems and Assistive Technologies.
Andreu Català has a BSc/MSc in Physics from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in Physics from the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC). He had been Head Director of the Engineering School of Vilanova i la Geltrú (UPC) from 2000 till 2006, responsible of the Knowledge Engineering Research Group (UPC) since 1998, and Director of the Research Centre for Dependency Care and Autonomous Living (UPC) since 2010. He is coordinator of the Thematic Network CIP-PSP-ICT ’European Network for Fall Prevention Intervention and Security E-NOFALLS’. Coordinator UPC of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral Program on ’Interactive and Cognitive Environments’.
This was the second edition of the Fall Competence Center Workshop. Certainly other related events will take place since its results are encouraging to foster the discussion on the topic as well as on new possible projects to be developed.