Method

METHOD

Key Facts

  • Co-creation with stakeholders and elderly
  • Controlled tests in naturalistic environments
  • Early consideration of business and economic perspectives
  • Consideration of various scenarios along the care continuum

The consortium will begin with an in-depth analysis of requirements involved in the deployment in a naturalistic use-case environment in Lyngby-Taarbæk Municipality in Denmark. Project-internal sub-groups will approach the analysis from a different area of expertise and focus (e.g., Business and Economic perspective; Data Analytics and Recommender Systems perspective; Motivation and Acceptance perspective; Sensing and Monitoring, Rehabilitation Technology perspective). Then key aspects of REACH will be tested in controlled laboratory environments to ascertain the proper operation of the subsystems in development. Following successful laboratory experimentation, the consortium partners will deploy the resulting prototypes in Pilot use-case environments to further develop and test-deploy REACH’s verified sub-systems in use-case relevant scenarios. 

Trial phase  Locations  Trial details 
Test Period 1: Early testing (year 1)  HUG, ZZ, Lyngby, SK  Testing of existing sensors/equipment, more explanatory, duration ranging from several hours up to eight weeks. 
Test Period 2: Pre-testing 1 (end of year 2)  Academic labs of TUM, TU/e, EPFL, and DTU  Evaluate the selected technologies developed in REACH in labs of academic partners, simulating care environments – short duration test/several days. 
Test Period 3: Pre-testing 2 (year 3)  HUG, Schön Klinik, Zuidzorg, and Lyngby  Evaluate some selected technologies in real world environments – short duration test/1-3 weeks. 
Test Period 4: Final testing / demonstration (year 4)  Unstructured, real-world environment at Lyngby  Evaluate some selected technologies in real world environments – longer duration test/more than 3 weeks. 

Following the “V-Model” approach, a variety of testing formats provide input for system, sub-system, and components development and verification/validation.  

V-Model scheme

Outline of how individual testing phases relate to individual REACH project phases in a V-Model scheme 

 

With the overall system architecture detailed and the first early trials completed, it becomes obvious that it is impractical to test each Touchpoint (each covering a certain early detection and intervention “theme”) regarding the complex, subsequent chain of early detection, motivational techniques, and programmed interventions in a single trial. Therefore, a concept for the decomposition of the testing scheme was developed.   

Concept for decomposition of testing approach 

 

Touchpoint 

 

 

Testing Instances 

 

Name 

 

 

Theme 

 

Early Detection 

 

Motivational Techniques 

 

 

Programmed Interventions 

TP1 Personal Mobility Device 

 

Frailty and risk of falls 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
TP2 Active Environment 

 

Mobility 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
TP3 Socializing and Nutrition 

 

Social interaction and nutrition 

 

  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
TP4 Gaming and Training 

 

General physical and cognitive ability 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
TP5 Wearables 

 

General physical and cognitive ability 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design 
  • Hypothesis 
  • Outcome measures 
  • Study design