Complexity theory, as part of mathematics and physics, deals with complex systems (also called dy... more Complexity theory, as part of mathematics and physics, deals with complex systems (also called dynamical systems) in which many variables and many interactions between them, expressed as non-linear dependences, are involved. Such systems describe ever evolving processes happening in nature, where only change is a constant and unpredictability is omnipresent. The complexity theory also examines the dependencies of the processes. In what extent the outcome from one process will affect the other? As educational issues (educational system itself, class community, teaching methods, online learning, student community, student engagement, staff development, curriculum development, educational policy, local or global changes of the environment) in a great extent are behaving as complex systems, the complexity theory has inherently became well established discipline in educational research. In this paper we highlight the importance of a complexity theory as a viewpoint in educational researc...
New information technologies are giving rise to new possibilities in education even for the young... more New information technologies are giving rise to new possibilities in education even for the youngest. The use of innovative methods in education has the potential not only to improve education, but to generate interest in various areas, and to motivate children to learn better since they use multiple sensory modalities. The concept of tangible user interface (TUI) seems the ideal solution for preschool children. This paper presents the development and evaluation of an interactive educational game that uses tangible user interface. The application allows children to learn the characteristics and differences between animals, on a simple and easy way. They are able to manipulate the digital information by selecting and positioning physical object, representing the various animals. Developed application is augmented with the QR codes which enable the system to detect selected animal. The developed interactive educational game was evaluated with children in one kindergarten, and the resu...
A continuous monitoring of physiological data is especially important for individuals whose chron... more A continuous monitoring of physiological data is especially important for individuals whose chronic condition includes the risk of sudden acute events. Physiological measurements fluctuate over the course of the day, so a once-daily reading might not provide the whole picture. Standard ambulatory systems for monitoring, are not suitable for monitoring over long period of time. The new systems and techniques suitable for hospital environment are investigated over the past years. In this study, we present a wearable system which includes a Zephyr bio-module for measuring patient's vital parameters. Data is collected wirelessly and displayed on mobile device via software. In order to be used in hospitals, the developed system was clinically tested. The data for heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR), obtained with the developed system were compared to the same parameters obtained by the standard medical device, in order to compare their accuracy. Preliminary results from these t...
On a battlefield wounded soldiers suffer comlex and severe injuries. First responder has a primar... more On a battlefield wounded soldiers suffer comlex and severe injuries. First responder has a primary role in these situations, providing medical treatment to wounded soldiers, helping them to stay alive until medics can treat them. Recent technological development can help first-responder and medics to triage wounded and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of these emergency activities. In this paper we are presenting a novel approach, using a biosensor for measuring soldiers’ vital parameters data, and a mobile application for gathering, organizing and visualizing this data. We believe that this solution will help saving more lives on a battlefield.
UNCAP (“Ubiquitous iNteroperable Care for Ageing People “) will make use of solutions and technol... more UNCAP (“Ubiquitous iNteroperable Care for Ageing People “) will make use of solutions and technologies developed in previous research projects to develop an open, scalable and privacy-savvy ICT infrastructure designed to help aging people live independently while maintaining and improving their lifestyle. The final solution will consist of real products that will be made available on the market. The project is co-financed by the EU through the Horizon 2020 programme, and it involves 23 partners (including several pilot user partners) from 9 European countries (IT, UK, SI, RO, EL, DE, SE, ES, MK).
SIARS is about modelling, developing and integration with selected existing Information Systems o... more SIARS is about modelling, developing and integration with selected existing Information Systems of a new state-of-the-art telemedical Information Systemsthat will allow saving more injured patients and lessen the death-rate on the battle fields. The system will be consisted of mobile device that will help the life-savers on the battlefield, gather and organize the medical data of the injured patient, use the satellite connection to transfer the data to the designated medical facility that will take medical care of the injured person. Specifically, implementing SIARS in multinational environment will positively influence on achieving NATO’s strategic objectives, which refers to human and social aspects of security. Consequently, it will increase the level of saving people’s lives (VIP, solders, civilians, etc.) in NATO –led operations and missions. The modules in SIARS (video-streaming of the injured person, constant monitoring and recording health condition of the patient during tra...
Ambient Assisted Living environments use different sensors and actuators to enable their endusers... more Ambient Assisted Living environments use different sensors and actuators to enable their endusers to live in their preferred environments. Unlike smart homes, where a target audience is usually a family unit, standard Ambient Assisted Living end users are care receivers and care providers. This article describes an approach based on the fog computing paradigm to detect sleep apnea in an Ambient Assisted Living context unobtrusively. The edge nodes process and detect local activities of daily living events and have direct control of the local environment. The fog nodes are used to further process and transmit data. The cloud is used for more complex and anonymous data computation. This research shows that sensors, which are unobtrusive and do not interfere with users' daily routines, can be successfully used for pattern observation.
Оваа студија има за цел да ја презентира и елаборира потребата од воведување персонализиран систе... more Оваа студија има за цел да ја презентира и елаборира потребата од воведување персонализиран систем за препораки на туристички објекти на локално ниво. Поконкретно, анализиран е случајот на Охрид како конкретен пример за апликативна примена на софтверот кој дава препораки за посета на објекти, знаменитости и настани кои делуваат во насока на развој на културниот туризам. За да се постигне таа цел, методолошки студијата е структурирана во неколку дела. По првиот воведен дел, следуваат: вториот дел кој ги појаснува генералните концепции поврзани со културниот туризам и е-туризмот; третиот дел ги посочува предусловите за развој на културниот туризам во Охрид, како и тековната понуда поставена преку веб портали; четвртиот дел ја елаборира неопходноста од развивање и воведување системи за препораки на културниот туризам на локално ниво, притоа давајќи и генерален опис на системите за генерирање препораки, опишувајќи го самиот процес на генерирање препораки, како и осврнувајќи се на тековн...
International Journal of Automation Technology, 2017
Robots perform a variety of tasks and serve various purposes in the medical/health and social car... more Robots perform a variety of tasks and serve various purposes in the medical/health and social care sectors. Recently, interest has been growing in developing robotic assistants for health-related care of elderly people. These robotic systems can be used to improve the life of elderly, ensuring healthy and active ageing, thus extending the life expectancy of the elderly in their familiar home environments. In this paper, we present a low-cost telepresence robotic assistant that can assist elderly and professional caregivers in everyday activities. The robot can be operated manually or by using a shared control paradigm. The robot can also be used for interpersonal communication, thus favoring social integration. The developed robot and its navigation capabilities have been evaluated in simulations and experiments, and the evaluation results are reported.
In this paper we described the telepresence robot system designed to improve the well-being of el... more In this paper we described the telepresence robot system designed to improve the well-being of elderly by supporting them to do daily activities independently, to facilitate social interaction in order to overcome a sense of social isolation and loneliness as well as to support the professional caregivers in everyday care. In order to investigate the acceptance of the developed robot system, evaluation study involved elderly people and professional caregivers, as two potential user groups was conducted. The results of this study are also presented and discussed.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the current implementation of videoconferencing system a... more The purpose of this paper is to describe the current implementation of videoconferencing system at the University “Goce Delcev” – Stip, as a case study, to present some non-functional requirements related to the technology and infrastructure, and gained during the process of implementation. The paper also presents the students perspectives on videoconferencing in education at a distance. These findings are obtained in the process of preliminary evaluation of the videoconferencing system at the university.
ABSTRACT With the increasing number of robots and robot applications, it is important to find int... more ABSTRACT With the increasing number of robots and robot applications, it is important to find intuitive modes of interaction that require as little training as possible of the users. In this paper we are proposing proximate HRI methodology based on human gestures using mobile phone accelerometer. The proposed methodology is experimentally evaluated on soccer robot control. The results show shown that the methodology is accurate enough and quite robust. The proposed HRI methodology is also very appreciated and preferred by the users over the other (even more accurate) forms of robot interaction methods.
Games have been an important activity among people for many years, but it has never been as inter... more Games have been an important activity among people for many years, but it has never been as interesting to explore as it is today. The main aim of our work is to investigate the influence of mobile phone games on collaboration and social interaction of physically co-located players, instead of focusing on the consequences of playing digital games that are antisocial in nature. Considering the performances of the contemporary converged mobile phones, we have developed and augmented reality (AR) TeamTwixT game for mobile phones. We have evaluated the system performances, user interface performances by adopting the Fitts’ law and the usability of mobile phones for collaborative AR. The results have shown that, despite the small screen and limited input capabilities mobile phones and 3D AR technology can be used to naturally enhance collaboration of co-located players and increase their confidence in respect to other gaming conditions.
With the increased aging population, and declined support from the families, societies will need ... more With the increased aging population, and declined support from the families, societies will need new tools to ensure the well-being of the elderly. Many of them would prefer living at home, but they will need help and assistance from someone. Technological innovations in the field of robotic systems can be used to enable independent living, to prolong the life of the elderly in their familiar home environments, to maintain the social connections by reducing social isolation and to improve the quality of life in general. In this paper, we present the design and validation of a low-cost mobile robot system that can assist elderly and professional caregivers in everyday activities. The robot structure and its control objectives are described in detail. The developed assistive telepresence robot was tested in simulation and experimentally. On field experiments were conducted in real environment, with potential end users, which is a major advantage of this study. The results of the evalu...
Complexity theory, as part of mathematics and physics, deals with complex systems (also called dy... more Complexity theory, as part of mathematics and physics, deals with complex systems (also called dynamical systems) in which many variables and many interactions between them, expressed as non-linear dependences, are involved. Such systems describe ever evolving processes happening in nature, where only change is a constant and unpredictability is omnipresent. The complexity theory also examines the dependencies of the processes. In what extent the outcome from one process will affect the other? As educational issues (educational system itself, class community, teaching methods, online learning, student community, student engagement, staff development, curriculum development, educational policy, local or global changes of the environment) in a great extent are behaving as complex systems, the complexity theory has inherently became well established discipline in educational research. In this paper we highlight the importance of a complexity theory as a viewpoint in educational researc...
New information technologies are giving rise to new possibilities in education even for the young... more New information technologies are giving rise to new possibilities in education even for the youngest. The use of innovative methods in education has the potential not only to improve education, but to generate interest in various areas, and to motivate children to learn better since they use multiple sensory modalities. The concept of tangible user interface (TUI) seems the ideal solution for preschool children. This paper presents the development and evaluation of an interactive educational game that uses tangible user interface. The application allows children to learn the characteristics and differences between animals, on a simple and easy way. They are able to manipulate the digital information by selecting and positioning physical object, representing the various animals. Developed application is augmented with the QR codes which enable the system to detect selected animal. The developed interactive educational game was evaluated with children in one kindergarten, and the resu...
A continuous monitoring of physiological data is especially important for individuals whose chron... more A continuous monitoring of physiological data is especially important for individuals whose chronic condition includes the risk of sudden acute events. Physiological measurements fluctuate over the course of the day, so a once-daily reading might not provide the whole picture. Standard ambulatory systems for monitoring, are not suitable for monitoring over long period of time. The new systems and techniques suitable for hospital environment are investigated over the past years. In this study, we present a wearable system which includes a Zephyr bio-module for measuring patient's vital parameters. Data is collected wirelessly and displayed on mobile device via software. In order to be used in hospitals, the developed system was clinically tested. The data for heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR), obtained with the developed system were compared to the same parameters obtained by the standard medical device, in order to compare their accuracy. Preliminary results from these t...
On a battlefield wounded soldiers suffer comlex and severe injuries. First responder has a primar... more On a battlefield wounded soldiers suffer comlex and severe injuries. First responder has a primary role in these situations, providing medical treatment to wounded soldiers, helping them to stay alive until medics can treat them. Recent technological development can help first-responder and medics to triage wounded and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of these emergency activities. In this paper we are presenting a novel approach, using a biosensor for measuring soldiers’ vital parameters data, and a mobile application for gathering, organizing and visualizing this data. We believe that this solution will help saving more lives on a battlefield.
UNCAP (“Ubiquitous iNteroperable Care for Ageing People “) will make use of solutions and technol... more UNCAP (“Ubiquitous iNteroperable Care for Ageing People “) will make use of solutions and technologies developed in previous research projects to develop an open, scalable and privacy-savvy ICT infrastructure designed to help aging people live independently while maintaining and improving their lifestyle. The final solution will consist of real products that will be made available on the market. The project is co-financed by the EU through the Horizon 2020 programme, and it involves 23 partners (including several pilot user partners) from 9 European countries (IT, UK, SI, RO, EL, DE, SE, ES, MK).
SIARS is about modelling, developing and integration with selected existing Information Systems o... more SIARS is about modelling, developing and integration with selected existing Information Systems of a new state-of-the-art telemedical Information Systemsthat will allow saving more injured patients and lessen the death-rate on the battle fields. The system will be consisted of mobile device that will help the life-savers on the battlefield, gather and organize the medical data of the injured patient, use the satellite connection to transfer the data to the designated medical facility that will take medical care of the injured person. Specifically, implementing SIARS in multinational environment will positively influence on achieving NATO’s strategic objectives, which refers to human and social aspects of security. Consequently, it will increase the level of saving people’s lives (VIP, solders, civilians, etc.) in NATO –led operations and missions. The modules in SIARS (video-streaming of the injured person, constant monitoring and recording health condition of the patient during tra...
Ambient Assisted Living environments use different sensors and actuators to enable their endusers... more Ambient Assisted Living environments use different sensors and actuators to enable their endusers to live in their preferred environments. Unlike smart homes, where a target audience is usually a family unit, standard Ambient Assisted Living end users are care receivers and care providers. This article describes an approach based on the fog computing paradigm to detect sleep apnea in an Ambient Assisted Living context unobtrusively. The edge nodes process and detect local activities of daily living events and have direct control of the local environment. The fog nodes are used to further process and transmit data. The cloud is used for more complex and anonymous data computation. This research shows that sensors, which are unobtrusive and do not interfere with users' daily routines, can be successfully used for pattern observation.
Оваа студија има за цел да ја презентира и елаборира потребата од воведување персонализиран систе... more Оваа студија има за цел да ја презентира и елаборира потребата од воведување персонализиран систем за препораки на туристички објекти на локално ниво. Поконкретно, анализиран е случајот на Охрид како конкретен пример за апликативна примена на софтверот кој дава препораки за посета на објекти, знаменитости и настани кои делуваат во насока на развој на културниот туризам. За да се постигне таа цел, методолошки студијата е структурирана во неколку дела. По првиот воведен дел, следуваат: вториот дел кој ги појаснува генералните концепции поврзани со културниот туризам и е-туризмот; третиот дел ги посочува предусловите за развој на културниот туризам во Охрид, како и тековната понуда поставена преку веб портали; четвртиот дел ја елаборира неопходноста од развивање и воведување системи за препораки на културниот туризам на локално ниво, притоа давајќи и генерален опис на системите за генерирање препораки, опишувајќи го самиот процес на генерирање препораки, како и осврнувајќи се на тековн...
International Journal of Automation Technology, 2017
Robots perform a variety of tasks and serve various purposes in the medical/health and social car... more Robots perform a variety of tasks and serve various purposes in the medical/health and social care sectors. Recently, interest has been growing in developing robotic assistants for health-related care of elderly people. These robotic systems can be used to improve the life of elderly, ensuring healthy and active ageing, thus extending the life expectancy of the elderly in their familiar home environments. In this paper, we present a low-cost telepresence robotic assistant that can assist elderly and professional caregivers in everyday activities. The robot can be operated manually or by using a shared control paradigm. The robot can also be used for interpersonal communication, thus favoring social integration. The developed robot and its navigation capabilities have been evaluated in simulations and experiments, and the evaluation results are reported.
In this paper we described the telepresence robot system designed to improve the well-being of el... more In this paper we described the telepresence robot system designed to improve the well-being of elderly by supporting them to do daily activities independently, to facilitate social interaction in order to overcome a sense of social isolation and loneliness as well as to support the professional caregivers in everyday care. In order to investigate the acceptance of the developed robot system, evaluation study involved elderly people and professional caregivers, as two potential user groups was conducted. The results of this study are also presented and discussed.
The purpose of this paper is to describe the current implementation of videoconferencing system a... more The purpose of this paper is to describe the current implementation of videoconferencing system at the University “Goce Delcev” – Stip, as a case study, to present some non-functional requirements related to the technology and infrastructure, and gained during the process of implementation. The paper also presents the students perspectives on videoconferencing in education at a distance. These findings are obtained in the process of preliminary evaluation of the videoconferencing system at the university.
ABSTRACT With the increasing number of robots and robot applications, it is important to find int... more ABSTRACT With the increasing number of robots and robot applications, it is important to find intuitive modes of interaction that require as little training as possible of the users. In this paper we are proposing proximate HRI methodology based on human gestures using mobile phone accelerometer. The proposed methodology is experimentally evaluated on soccer robot control. The results show shown that the methodology is accurate enough and quite robust. The proposed HRI methodology is also very appreciated and preferred by the users over the other (even more accurate) forms of robot interaction methods.
Games have been an important activity among people for many years, but it has never been as inter... more Games have been an important activity among people for many years, but it has never been as interesting to explore as it is today. The main aim of our work is to investigate the influence of mobile phone games on collaboration and social interaction of physically co-located players, instead of focusing on the consequences of playing digital games that are antisocial in nature. Considering the performances of the contemporary converged mobile phones, we have developed and augmented reality (AR) TeamTwixT game for mobile phones. We have evaluated the system performances, user interface performances by adopting the Fitts’ law and the usability of mobile phones for collaborative AR. The results have shown that, despite the small screen and limited input capabilities mobile phones and 3D AR technology can be used to naturally enhance collaboration of co-located players and increase their confidence in respect to other gaming conditions.
With the increased aging population, and declined support from the families, societies will need ... more With the increased aging population, and declined support from the families, societies will need new tools to ensure the well-being of the elderly. Many of them would prefer living at home, but they will need help and assistance from someone. Technological innovations in the field of robotic systems can be used to enable independent living, to prolong the life of the elderly in their familiar home environments, to maintain the social connections by reducing social isolation and to improve the quality of life in general. In this paper, we present the design and validation of a low-cost mobile robot system that can assist elderly and professional caregivers in everyday activities. The robot structure and its control objectives are described in detail. The developed assistive telepresence robot was tested in simulation and experimentally. On field experiments were conducted in real environment, with potential end users, which is a major advantage of this study. The results of the evalu...
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