Author: NRMA 

Excerpt taken from the introduction of the paper

The NRMA’s Smart Transport Future, an internally produced document, identifies and examines the challenges that NSW and the ACT face over the next 15 years. These challenges include population growth in our cities at the expense of rural and regional areas, the corresponding impact of congestion on our roads and the economy, an ageing population and diminishing public resources – all factors that may limit the ability of government to invest in new road and transport infrastructure projects and adequately maintain the current road network. To this end, the paper examines how smart technology can keep NSW and the ACT moving.

The paper uses real world examples to demonstrate how global cities are successfully adopting smart transport technologies to prepare for the future. It also provides recommendations to government about how similar technologies and solutions could be implemented in NSW and the ACT to meet our future transport challenges today. NRMA’s recommendations contained within the paper encourages government to promote and adopt smart technologies across a range of areas, including autonomous vehicles, smart parking, managed motorways, mobility and electric vehicles. NRMA hopes that these recommendations will encourage the NSW and ACT Governments to continue to be proactive and adopt innovative solutions to solve our future transport challenges.

Given technology is rapidly evolving every day, it is assumed that many smart solutions identified within the paper will eventually be superseded. It is noted that this paper is not intended to be a definitive guide to all smart transport technologies, but aims to provide a snapshot of how current technology can be adopted to pave the way for a smart transport future. NRMA would like to acknowledge the assistance of Intel Australia in developing this paper by providing practical examples about how smart technologies are transforming mobility around the world.

Category: Future Trends & Possibilies Transport

Added by Elizabeth Dodd · 8 years ago

In this webinar QUT Nutrition and Dietician Students on placement at Community Resourcing present their project on developing an appropriate nutrition-related technological resource for older adults. 

Alice Blakely, Sissy Mok and Hui Bing Lee used their community placement to focus on the innovative use of technology in the nutrition field to encourage healthy eating in participants through a mobile text messaging system named SAL. Upon discovering a lack of assistive technology within the area of nutrition and health, and particularly in an Australian context, the students aimed to close this gap. This project successfully displayed how smart assistive technology can enhance nutritional outcomes as well as the overall health and wellbeing of participants. 

Please follow the link below to access the webinar: 

SAL - A Nutrition-Related Technological Resource for Older Adults 

Category: Future Trends & Possibilies Mobility

Added by Lisa Kelly · 8 years ago

Author: Natasha Egan

Published By: Australian Ageing Agenda Technology Review 

Published:  2016

Dr. Kevin Doughty is a CCSATC Expert Reference group member and Director of the Centre for Usable Home Technologies (CUHTec) at the Universities of Coventry, Newcastle and York. A leading expert in the use of ICT in aged care, Dr. Doughty has urged providers to be agile when it comes to choosing technology, citing Telehealth boxes that have been "overtaken" by more suitable wearable devices. 

"That equipment should be taken off from the shelf and put straight into the bin because they have been overtaken by things that better, more usable, and far more conducive to the public." Dr Doughty told Technology Review. 

All the sign were pointing to a future involving wearable devices, rather than "Telehealth boxes," said Dr Doughty. 

Clients were constrained by traditional Telehealth equipments that had to used in the home at a particular time, he said. Instead, devices needed to become ambulatory so they could be worn by individuals, who were increasingly interested in something that matched their persona. 

Please follow the link below to access the full article: 

Traditional telehealth model is ‘dead’ as wearables take over: expert

Category: Future Trends & Possibilies International Perspectives Smart AT General

Added by Lisa Kelly · 8 years ago

Author: CCSATC & Simavita

Published By: CCSATC 

Published On: 17 March 2016

In this webinar, Leonie Mulheran from Simavita will discuss the prevalence of incontinence and importance of management in both the younger and the aged population and gender specific issues. Importantly, Leonie will discuss the role that Smart Assistive Technology could play for the Service Provider & the Consumer as well as economic impact and future possibilities. 

This webinar can be accessed by following the link below:

Smart Assistive Technology Driving Changes in Management of Continence

Category: Domestic Assistance Future Trends & Possibilies Local Perspectives Mobile Technologies Quality & Standards Smart AT General Smart Homes & Environmental Controls

Added by Lisa Kelly · 8 years ago

Author: Honor Whiteman

Published By: Medilexicon International Ltd.

Published On: 12 December 2015

Good news for all of you video game buffs out there; a new study finds playing 3D video games may help boost memory, possibly opening the door to a new way to maintain cognitive functioning as we age.

Video games are not normally viewed in a positive light in terms of health; previous studies have claimed they promote sedentary behavior, while violent video games have been linked to aggressive behavior and reduced self-control.

Increasingly, however, researchers are finding video games may have some benefits. Earlier this year, Medical News Today reported on a study that found Tetris could reduce cravings, while other research suggested story-based video games could help people with autism.

Now, researchers from the University of California-Irvine (UCI) suggest the benefits of video games could reach even further, possibly helping people with dementia or other conditions associated with memory loss.

They publish their findings in The Journal of Neuroscience.

3D video games improved memory performance by 12%

Study coauthors Craig Stark and Dane Clemenson, of the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning & Memory at UCI, asked a number of non-gamer college students to play one of two video games for 30 minutes daily for 2 weeks - either the 2D game "Angry Birds" or the 3D game "Super Mario 3D world."

Students took part in memory tests both before and after the 2-week gaming period, which involved them viewing images of specific everyday objects. They were then shown images of the same objects, new objects and objects that differed slightly from the original images and were asked to categorize each one.

Such tests engage the hippocampus - the brain region associated with memory and learning - according to Stark, and previous studies he conducted showed that the ability to perform well on such tests reduces as we age.

Compared with students who played the 2D game over the 2-week period, those who played the 3D game improved memory performance by around 12%.

To put this in context, the team notes that between the ages of 45-70, memory performance normally reduces by around 12%, suggesting that 3D video games could help maintain cognitive functioning as we age.

But why do 3D video games appear to boost memory while 2D games do not?

3D games may increase neuronal growth, signaling in the hippocampus

Previous studies by Clemenson and colleagues found rodents that explored an environment showed increased neuronal growth and signaling in the hippocampus, and the team notes there are similarities between the environment the rodents explored and the 3D game the students played.

Stark explains that 3D games contain more spatial information than 2D, giving the player more to explore. What is more, 3D games are significantly more complex, meaning the player has more to learn.

Stark adds that video games activate cognitive processes, including visual, spatial, attentional, motivational and emotional processes, as well as critical thinking, problem-solving and working memory.

"It's quite possible that by explicitly avoiding a narrow focus on a single [...] cognitive domain and by more closely paralleling natural experience, immersive video games may be better suited to provide enriching experiences that translate into functional gains," he explains.

Next, the team plans to determine whether 3D video games or other real-world exploration experiences can help reverse cognitive declines in older individuals.

"Can we use this video game approach to help improve hippocampus functioning? It's often suggested that an active, engaged lifestyle can be a real factor in stemming cognitive aging," says Stark. "While we can't all travel the world on vacation, we can do many other things to keep us cognitively engaged and active. Video games may be a nice, viable route."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/303789.php

Category: Future Trends & Possibilies International Perspectives Research Smart AT General Videos Virtual Environments

Added by Lisa Kelly · 8 years ago

Author: Superflux, Jon Ardem, Alexandra Fruhstorfer, Jon Flint 

Published By: Vimeo

Published: 2015 

"Uninvited Guests is a short film that explores the frictions between an elderly man and his smart home.  Thomas, aged 70, lives on his own after his wife died last year. His children send him smart devices to track and monitor his diet, health and sleep from a distance. But Thomas has always been fiercely independent, happy to live in an organised mess. He struggles with the order and rules imposed on him by the objects that are meant to make his life easier. In a world where ’smart objects’ will increasingly be used to provide care at a distance, how will we live with these uninvited guests? This film was created by Superflux Lab for the ThingTank project."

For further information visit: http://www.superflux.in/work/uninvited-guests

Watch at: https://vimeo.com/128873380

Category: Domestic Assistance Future Trends & Possibilies Local Perspectives Mobile Technologies Robotics Smart Homes & Environmental Controls

Added by Lisa Kelly · 8 years ago

Author: Janette Hughes and CCSATC 

Published By: CCSATC

Published On: 6 January 2016

Janette lead the Wellness and Health Innovation project and most recently the Scottish ‘dallas’ programme – Living it Up, which developed a transformational and scalable digital service model for the over 50’s, focussed on co-designing services that enable them to remain healthy, happy and safe.  This webinar gives a brief overview of the Scottish ‘dallas’ Living it Up Program.

This webinar can be accessed by following the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqXuCILAmB

Category: Allied Health Connected Health Domestic Assistance Future Trends & Possibilies International Perspectives Smart Homes & Environmental Controls

Added by Lisa Kelly · 8 years ago

Author: Sander van Berlo

Published by: Community Resourcing

Date of Publication: October 7th, 2015

Dr. Eleanor Horton chairs this webinar presented by Sander van Berlo, who informs us of his project Do CHANGE. The primary goal of the Do CHANGE (Cardiac Health Advanced New Generation Ecosystem) project is to develop a health ecosystem for integrated disease management for hypertensive and cardiac patients. This ground breaking system – which will be adaptable for other health and social issues – will give people access to a set of personalised health services that directly respond to a range of measurements and situations. It integrates the latest behaviour change techniques with inputs from new portable tools that scan food and fluid intake, monitor behaviours and measure clinical parameters in normal living situations.

The webinar can be viewed at 

Category: Future Trends & Possibilies International Perspectives Videos

Added by Tony Shaw · 9 years ago

Authors: Patrice L Weiss, Debbie Rand, Noomi Katz and Rachel Kizony

Published by: Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation

Published: 2004

Video capture virtual reality (VR) uses a video camera and software to track movement in a single plane without the need to place markers on specific bodily locations. The user's image is thereby embedded within a simulated environment such that it is possible to interact with animated graphics in a completely natural manner. Although this technology first became available more than 25 years ago, it is only within the past five years that it has been applied in rehabilitation. The objective of this article is to describe the way this technology works, to review its assets relative to other VR platforms, and to provide an overview of some of the major studies that have evaluated the use of video capture technologies for rehabilitation.

Category: Connected Health Future Trends & Possibilies International Perspectives Operational Technology Virtual Environments

Added by Tony Shaw · 9 years ago

Author: Eric Change and Miran Lee 

Published By: Microsoft Research

Published: 2016

A Prototype by Microsoft

Stroke Recovery with Kinect is an interactive rehabilitation system prototype that helps stroke patients improve their upper-limb motor functioning in the comfort of their own home. By using Microsoft Kinect technology, this prototype system recognizes and interprets the user’s gestures, assesses their rehabilitation progress, and adjusts the level of difficulty for subsequent therapy sessions.

 http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/stroke-recovery-with-kinect/default.aspx

Category: Future Trends & Possibilies International Perspectives Virtual Environments

Added by Ash-Lee Hall · 9 years ago

In this one day interactive Workshop held in Brisbane on 8 September 2015 , Dr Doughty demonstrated the  implementation of Smart Assistive Technology into Service Delivery drawing from proven International best practice in community care service delivery.

Due to popular demand we have provided a link to Dr Doughty's presentation below:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l2t8enc0bi5lufi/Embedding%20%26%20Mainstreaming%20Smart%20Assistive%20Technology%20PowerPoint.pdf?dl=0

Category: Future Trends & Possibilies International Perspectives Smart AT General

Added by Elizabeth Dodd · 9 years ago

 Author: Feros Care

Published By: Feros Care 

Published:  2016

Known as is Wheel-I-Am, is Feros Care’s latest recruit and is essentially an iPad mounted on a miniature Segway base.

The concept is simple – to keep seniors socially connected by using technology so residents who are less mobile and unable to go on social outings can still be part of the fun.

To view more information go to: http://www.feroscare.com.au/home-page/wheel-i-am/

Or watch the video: 

Category: Communication Future Trends & Possibilies Mobility Robotics Videos

Added by Ash-Lee Hall · 9 years ago

Author: The Daily Conversation

Published By: Youtube

Published On: 4 February 2015

Autonomous vehicles have made significant progress in the last decade and should be available to buy very soon. In this TDC mini-doc, The Daily Conversation look at the history of "self-driving" vehicles, where the industry is today, and what our roads will look like in the future.

View the video here;

Category: Transport Videos Future Trends & Possibilies

Added by Ash-Lee Hall · 9 years ago