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Caon Maurizio

Professeur HES ordinaire/Responsable d'institut

Main skills

Professeur HES ordinaire/Responsable d'institut

Phone: +41 26 429 67 44

Desktop: HEG 411

Haute école de gestion de Fribourg
Chemin du Musée 4, 1700 Fribourg, CH

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Ongoing

NESTORE COACH (SC1-PM-15-2017 H2020)

Role: Co-applicant

Requérant(e)s: Giuseppe Andreoni, Politecnico di Milano

Financement: EU SC1-PM-15-2017 H2020

Description du projet :

NESTORE (Novel Empowering Solutions and Technologies for Older people to Retain Everyday life activities) is a H2020 EU project funded under the SC1-PM15-2017 programme aimed at developing virtual coaches for older adults.

Research team within HES-SO: Angelini Leonardo , Mugellini Elena , Abou Khaled Omar , El Kamali Mira , Crausaz Didier , Carrino Francesco , Caon Maurizio

Partenaires académiques: Giuseppe Andreoni, Politecnico di Milano

Durée du projet: 01.09.2017 - 01.01.2021

Archivage des données: https://nestore-coach.eu/

Publications liées:

Statut: Ongoing

Completed

Personalised Guidance Services for Optimising lifestyle in teen-agers through awareness, motivation and engagement

AGP

Role: Collaborator

Requérant(e)s: FR - EIA - Institut HumanTech, Mugellini Elena, FR - EIA - Institut HumanTech

Financement: FP7

Description du projet : Obesity and other lifestyle-related illness are among the top healthcare challenges in Europe. Obesity alone accounts for up to 7% of healthcare costs in the EU, as well as wider economy costs associated with lower productivity, lost output and premature death. Obesity in younger age is an alarming predictor for obesity in adulthood, but also entails short term health complications in juvenile age along with greater risk of social and psychological problems. Knowing how to stay healthy is not enough to motivate individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles, but relevant progress can be achieved through the use of incentives delivered through a combination of processes and mobile technologies. Recognizing the effectiveness of this approach, the PEGASO project will develop a multi-dimensional cross-disciplinary ICT system that will exploit sophisticated game mechanics to motivate behavioral changes towards healthier lifestyles and prevent overweight and obesity in the younger population. The project relies on ICT technologies to implement a framework for the promotion of an health service based on three main features: individual&environmental monitoring, including wearable sensors, mobile phone and multimedia diaries for the acquisition of physical, physiological and behavioural attributes of participants; feedback to the user, presenting personalised healthy options for alternative lifestyles; social connectivity, encouraging involvement in social network experience sharing and social engagement. For the system development, a user centered approach, social and networked games and online education will be used. PEGASO will be tested with over 300 adolescents in three EU member states (Spain, Italy, UK). The development of PEGASO project will mobilize a wide stakeholders' ecosystem contributed by National Health Authorities and Research Institutions, Industries and Academia from the ICT and healthcare sectors, as well as food companies and SMEs

Research team within HES-SO: Caon Maurizio , Abou Khaled Omar , Carrino Stefano , Mugellini Elena , Crausaz Didier

Partenaires académiques: FR - EIA - Institut HumanTech; Mugellini Elena, FR - EIA - Institut HumanTech

Durée du projet: 02.12.2013 - 31.12.2017

Montant global du projet: 890'185 CHF

Statut: Completed

2024

Exploring the impact of commercial wearable activity trackers on body awareness and body representations :

Scientific paper ArODES

a mixed-methods study on self-tracking

Arianna Boldi, Alessandro Silacci, Marc-Olivier Boldi, Mauro Cherubini, Maurizio Caon, Noé Zufferey, Kévin Huguenin, Amon Rapp

Computers in Human Behavior, 151, 108036

Link to the publication

Summary:

Wearable trackers are believed to enhance users’ self-knowledge, but their impact on the relationship that people have with their own bodies is relatively unexplored. This study aims to shed light on the potential of physiological data collected by a commercial wearable activity tracker to influence how users relate with their own bodies, specifically their body awareness, body image, body consciousness, and body surveillance. Additionally, the study seeks to determine whether this change in body perception improves or worsens the users’ relation with their own bodies. We recruited 321 first-time wearable users, including a control group. Participants in the experimental group (N = 225) completed a set of scales and questionnaires addressing body awareness and representations before and after wearing a Fitbit for four months, and 20 of them were further interviewed about their experience. The findings indicate that participants’ overall view of their bodies was not influenced by the device. However, the Fitbit did increase the awareness of bodily sensations, particularly for women. Moreover, we describe how participants made sense of the data displayed by the Fitbit, which was also used as an emotionregulation tool. These results can contribute to the understanding of the impact of self-tracking technologies on the users’ perceptions of their own body and provide insights for future research in this field.

2023

Cheer for me: effect of non-player character audience feedback on older adult users of virtual reality exergames

Scientific paper ArODES

Kangyou Yu, Shaoyue Wen, Wenge Xu, Maurizio Caon, Nilufar Baghaei, Hai-Ning Liang

Virtual Reality, 27, 3, 1887-1903

Link to the publication

Summary:

related to sports such as tennis or boxing. Similarly, in videogames, players’ gameplay could be affected if there is an audience and its feedback in response to players’ performance in the environment. The inclusion of an audience with nonplayer characters (NPC) is common in videogames in general. However, there is a limited exploration of the use of an NPC audience in virtual reality (VR) exergames, especially focusing on elderly players. To fill this gap, this work examines the effect of an NPC audience and its associated feedback (with/without) on elderly users of VR exergames. In a user study, we used 120 NPC in a virtual audience. Results showed that the presence of the NPC audience with responsive feedback led to higher performance (with a higher success rate of performing gesture actions, more successful combinations of actions (or combos for short) performed, and more opponent’s combos prevented) and better gameplay experience (with higher levels of competence, autonomy, relatedness, immersion, and intuitive controls) of elderly players. Our results can help frame the design and engineering of VR exergames that are targeted at elderly users to help them have an enhanced gameplay experience and improve their health.

Co-designing an embodied e-coach with older adults :

Scientific paper ArODES

the tangible coach journey

Mira El Kamali, Leonardo Angelini, Maurizio Caon, Nick Dulake, Paul Chamberlain, Claire Craig, Carlo Emilio Standoli, Giuseppe Andreoni, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 40, 10, 2736-2759

Link to the publication

Summary:

This article describes a tangible interface for an e-coach, co-designed in four countries to meet older adults’ needs and expectations. The aim of this device is to coach the user by giving recommendations, personalized tasks and to build empathy through vocal, visual, and physical interaction. Through our co-design process, we collected insights that helped identifying requirements for the physical design, the interaction design and the privacy and data control. In the first phase, we collected users’ needs and expectations through several workshops. Requirements were then trans- formed into three design concepts that were rated and commented by our target users. The final design was implemented and tested in three countries. We discussed the results and the open challenges for the design of physical e-coaches for older adults. To encourage further developments in this field, we released the research outputs of this design process in an open-source repository.

Digital health technology to support health care professionals and family caregivers caring for patients with cognitive impairment: scoping review

Scientific paper ArODES

Mohamed-Amine Choukou, Funminiyi Olatoye, Reg Urbanowski, Maurizio Caon, Caroline Monnin

JMIR Mental Health, 2023, vol. 10, p. e40330

Link to the publication

Summary:

Background: Digital health technology is a promising way of supporting health care providers and family caregivers as they care for patients with cognitive impairment. Objective: This scoping review aimed to portray the use of digital health technology to assist health care providers and family caregivers in caring for patients with cognitive impairment who live in the community or in a facility. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed scientific articles available in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, and CINAHL with Full Text, as well as gray literature available in preprint servers, theses depositories, and various national and international dementia organizations’ websites. The search yielded 975 articles, of which we included 7 (0.7%) in the review. Results: Of the 7 interventions included in the retrieved manuscripts, 2 (29%) were digital calendar reminder systems to support activities of daily living and medication management; 2 (29%) were apps on tablet devices to simulate the presence of family before therapy interventions; 1 (14%) was a social robot used in therapeutic sessions to include elements of musicotherapy, reminiscence, cognitive games, and relaxation; 1 (14%) was a commercially available computer system that provides access to various recreational leisure activities; and 1 (14%) was a web-based self-management support system that helps family caregivers to deal with behavior changes in a relative with dementia. Of the 7 articles, only 1 (14%) reported on the use of a behavior change theory, namely a comprehensive process model of engagement coupled with cognitive stimulation therapy. Conclusions: Literature on the topic is scarce, recent, and heterogeneous. There is a clear need for a theoretical framework to conceptualize and govern the use of behavior change models that incorporate technology for patients with cognitive impairment.

2022

The NESTORE e-Coach : designing a multi-domain pathway to well-being in older age

Scientific paper ArODES

Leonardo Angelini, Mira El Kamali, Elena Mugellini, Omar Abou Khaled, Christina Röcke, Simone Porcelli, Alfonso Mastropietro, Giovanni Rizzo, Noemi Boqué, Josep Maria Del Bas, Filippo Palumbo, Michele Girolami, Antonino Crivello, Canan Ziylan, Paula Subías-Beltrán, Silvia Orte, Carlo Emilio Standoli, Laura Fernandez Maldonado, Maurizio Caon, Martin Sykora, Suzanne Elayan, Sabrina Guye, Giuseppe Andreoni

Technologies, 2022, vol. 10, no 2, pp. 50-77

Link to the publication

Summary:

This article describes the coaching strategies of the NESTORE e-coach, a virtual coach for promoting healthier lifestyles in older age. The novelty of the NESTORE project is the definition of a multi-domain personalized pathway where the e-coach accompanies the user throughout different structured and non-structured coaching activities and recommendations. The article also presents the design process of the coaching strategies, carried out including older adults from four European countries and experts from the different health domains, and the results of the tests carried out with 60 older adults in Italy, Spain and The Netherlands.

PEGASO e-Diary: :

Scientific paper ArODES

user engagement and dietary behavior change of a mobile food record for adolescents

Maurizio Caon, Federica Prinelli, Leonardo Angelini, Stefano Carrino, Elena Mugellini, Silvia Orte, José C. E. Serrano, Sarah Atkinson, Anne Martin, Fulvio Adorni

Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022, vol. 9, article 727480

Link to the publication

Summary:

Background: Obesity amongst children and adolescents is becoming a major health problem globally and mobile food records can play a crucial role in promoting healthy dietary habits. Objective: To describe the methodology for the implementation of the e-Diary mobile food record, to assess its capability in promoting healthy eating habits, to evaluate the factors associated with its usage and engagement. Methods: This is a descriptive study that compared the characteristics of participants engaged in the e-Diary, which was part of the PEGASO project in which an app to provide proactive health promotion was given to 365 students at 4 European sites enrolled during October to December 2016: England (UK), Scotland (UK), Lombardy (Italy), and Catalonia (Spain). The e-Diary tracked the users' dietary habits in terms of food groups, dietary indexes, and 6 dietary target behaviors relating to consumption of: fruit; vegetable; breakfast; sugar-sweetened beverages; fast-food; and snacks. The e-Diary provided also personalized suggestions for the next meal and gamification. Results: The e-Diary was used for 6 months by 357 adolescents (53.8% females). The study showed that females used the e-Diary much more than males (aOR 3.8, 95% CI 1.6–8.8). Participants aged 14 years were more engaged in the e-Diary than older age groups (aOR 5.1, 95% CI 1.4–18.8) as were those with a very good/excellent self-perceived health status compared to their peers with fair/poor health perception (aOR 4.2, 95% CI 1.3–13.3). Compared to the intervention sites, those living in Catalonia (aOR 13.2 95% CI 2.5–68.8) were more engaged. In terms of behavior change, a significant positive correlation between fruit (p < 0.0001) and vegetables (p = 0.0087) intake was observed in association with increased engagement in the e-Diary. Similarly, adolescents who used the app for more than 2 weeks had significantly higher odds of not skipping breakfast over the study period (aOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.0–6.3). Conclusions: The users highly engaged with the e-Diary were associated with improved dietary behaviors: increased consumption of fruit and vegetables and reduced skipping of breakfast. Although the overall usage of the e-Diary was high during the first weeks, it declined thereafter. Future applications should foster user engagement, particularly targeting adolescents at high risk.

2021

Conversational agents for health and well-being across the life course :

Scientific paper ArODES

protocol for an evidence map

Mara Pereira Guerreiro, Leonardo Angelini, Helga Rafael Henriques, Mira El Kamali, Cristina Baixinho, João Balsa, Isa Félix Brito, Omar Abou Khaled, Maria Beatriz Carmo, Ana Paula Claudio, Maurizio Caon, Karl Daher, Bruno Alexandre, Mafalda Padinha, Elena Mugellini

JMIR Research Protocols, 2021, vol. 10, no. 9, article no. e26680

Link to the publication

Summary:

Background: Conversational agents, which we defined as computer programs that are designed to simulate two-way human conversation by using language and are potentially supplemented with nonlanguage modalities, offer promising avenues for health interventions for different populations across the life course. There is a lack of open-access and user-friendly resources for identifying research trends and gaps and pinpointing expertise across international centers. Objective: Our aim is to provide an overview of all relevant evidence on conversational agents for health and well-being across the life course. Specifically, our objectives are to identify, categorize, and synthesize—through visual formats and a searchable database—primary studies and reviews in this research field. Methods: An evidence map was selected as the type of literature review to be conducted, as it optimally corresponded to our aim. We systematically searched 8 databases (MEDLINE; CINAHL; Web of Science; Scopus; the Cochrane, ACM, IEEE, and Joanna Briggs Institute databases; and Google Scholar). We will perform backward citation searching on all included studies. The first stage of a double-stage screening procedure, which was based on abstracts and titles only, was conducted by using predetermined eligibility criteria for primary studies and reviews. An operational screening procedure was developed for streamlined and consistent screening across the team. Double data extraction will be performed with previously piloted data collection forms. We will appraise systematic reviews by using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2. Primary studies and reviews will be assessed separately in the analysis. Data will be synthesized through descriptive statistics, bivariate statistics, and subgroup analysis (if appropriate) and through high-level maps such as scatter and bubble charts. The development of the searchable database will be informed by the research questions and data extraction forms. Results: As of April 2021, the literature search in the eight databases was concluded, yielding a total of 16,351 records. The first stage of screening, which was based on abstracts and titles only, resulted in the selection of 1282 records of primary studies and 151 records of reviews. These will be subjected to second-stage screening. A glossary with operational definitions for supporting the study selection and data extraction stages was drafted. The anticipated completion date is October 2021. Conclusions: Our wider definition of a conversational agent and the broad scope of our evidence map will explicate trends and gaps in this field of research. Additionally, our evidence map and searchable database of studies will help researchers to avoid fragmented research efforts and wasteful redundancies. Finally, as part of the Harnessing the Power of Conversational e-Coaches for Health and Well-being Through Swiss-Portuguese Collaboration project, our work will also inform the development of an international taxonomy on conversational agents for health and well-being, thereby contributing to terminology standardization and categorization.

Coaching older adults towards a healthier lifestyle: psychological and technological methods

Book chapter ArODES

Christina Röcke, Leonardo Angelini, Sabrina Guye, Mira El Kamali, Maurizio Caon, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

Dans Andreoni, Giuseppe, Mambretti, Cinzia, Digital health technology for better aging: a multidisciplinary approach (Pp. 161-177). 2021, Cham : Springer

Link to the publication

Summary:

This chapter discusses the theoretical behaviour change framework and its integration and implementation of behaviour change techniques that form the conceptual psychological basis for innovative but efficient coaching approach. We review the current state of e-coaching solutions for older adults that can be found in the literature and identify gaps. Finally, we review and discuss the technological implementation of behaviour change techniques applied in NESTORE to support healthy older adults to adopt a healthy lifestyle in all NESTORE well-being domains as reference case study.

Building trust and companionship in e-coaching through embodiment

Book chapter ArODES

Mira El Kamali, Leonardo Angelini, Maurizio Caon, Guiseppe Andreoni, Nick Dulake, Paul Chamberlain, Omar Abou Khlaed, Elena Mugellini

Dans Andreoni, Giuseppe, Mambretti, Cinzia, Digital health technology for better aging: a multidisciplinary approach (Pp. 195-204). 2021, Cham : Springer

Link to the publication

Summary:

E-coaches are promising tools for health interventions, being scalable and relatively low costs compared to human coaches. Nevertheless, they cannot compare to humans when it comes to trust and social companionship. Hence, many researches were held around the importance of tangible user interfaces in building trust and companionship during human-machine interaction. Co-design, in particular, is the act of creating with stakeholders within the design development process to ensure the results meet their needs and are usable. This chapter describes a design process method and the rationale for building an embodiment for a companion and a trustable e-coach. We also shed lights on the co-design process held in the NESTORE project, which was specifically conducted with older adults to build a vocal assistant that supports user’s behavioral change, as well as to increase the social bonding with the NESTORE e-coach.

Protection des données: consentement, devoir d'informer et utilisation de pictogrammes

Professional paper ArODES

Bruno Pasquier, Alessandro Silacci, Maurizio Caon

Aktuelle Juristische Praxis / Pratique Juridique Actuelle (AJP / PJA), 2021, vol. 7, pp. 889-904

Link to the publication

Summary:

Diverses initiatives encouragent l’utilisation de pictogrammes dans le contexte du devoir d’informer préalablement à un consentement à un traitement de données personnelles. L’article discute les conditions de validité du consentement et en particulier les exigences au devoir d’informer (II. et III.). Les auteurs se demandent ensuite, en prenant en compte des études dans le domaine de l’Interaction Homme-Machine, si l’utilisation de pictogrammes permet d’atteindre le but recherché, à savoir à faciliter la compréhension des informations (IV.). Les résultats montrent que, même si plusieurs réserves peuvent être faites, l’utilisation de pictogrammes permet effectivement d’améliorer la fluidité du regard et d’augmenter la vitesse de recherche d’informations ainsi que la motivation à interagir (IV.C. et IV.D.).

A novel actuating–sensing bone conduction-based system for active hand pose sensing and material densities evaluation through hand touch

Scientific paper ArODES

Giovanni Saggio, Angela Scioscia Santoro, Vito Errico, Maurizio Caon, Alfiero Leoni, Giuseppe Ferri, Vincenzo Stronelli

IEEE transactions on instrumentation and measurement, 2021, vol. 70, pp. 1-7

Link to the publication

Summary:

We realized and tested a novel system aimed at discriminating different hand poses by means of an active actuating and sensing approach realized by converting electro- magnetic to mechanical waves (and vice versa) and analyzing the characteristics of the waves after their travel through the bones and cartilage of the hand. The actuating part is realized through a transducer, placed on the dorsal part of the hand, performing electromagnetic-to-mechanical energy conversion. The sensing part is realized through an accelerometer, placed on a finger, per- forming mechanical-to-electromagnetic energy conversion. The way the sound propagates through the fingers mainly depends on the traveled path, the angles of fingers’ flexion, and the (un)matched conditions with surroundings. Therefore, the investigation of the characteristics of the returned signal (in phase shifts and power spectral densities) can furnish information for discriminating among different finger poses and different densities of touched materials. The system highly performed in repeatability and reproducibility of the measures, well-discriminating among hand poses and among densities of touched materials.

Towards an AI-based tailored training planning for road cyclists :

Scientific paper ArODES

a case study

Alessandro Silacci, Redha Tahar, Maurizio Caon

Applied Sciences, 2021, vol. 11, no. 1, article no. 313, pp. 1-17

Link to the publication

Summary:

In a world where the data is a central piece, we provide a novel technique to design training plans for road cyclists. This study exposes an in-depth review of a virtual coach based on state-of-the-art artificial intelligence techniques to schedule road cycling training sessions. Together with a dozen of road cycling participants’ training data, we were able to create and verify an e-coach dedicated to any level of road cyclists. The system can provide near-human coaching advice on the training of cycling athletes based on their past capabilities. In this case study, we extend the tests of our empirical research project and analyze the results provided by experts. Results of the conducted experiments show that the computational intelligence of our system can compete with human coaches at training planification. In this case study, we evaluate the system we previously developed and provide new insights and paths of amelioration for systems based on artificial intelligence for athletes. We observe that our system performs equal or better than the control training plans in 14 and 24 week training periods where it was evaluated as better in 4 of our 5 test components. We also report a higher statistical difference in the results of the experts’ evaluations between the control and virtual coach training plan (24 weeks; training load: X2 = 4.751; resting time quantity: X2 = 3.040; resting time distance: X2 = 2.550; efficiency: X2 = 2.142).

2020

"Hi This Is NESTORE, your personal assistant" :

Scientific paper ArODES

design of an integrated IoT system for a personalized coach for healthy aging

Filippo Palumbo, Antonino Crivello, Francesco Furfari, Michele Girolami, Alfonso Mastropietro, Giorgio Manfredelli, Christina Röcke, Sabrina Guye, Antoni Salvá Casanovas, Maurizio Caon, Francesco Carrino, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini, Enrico Denna, Marco Mauri, David Ward, Paula Subías-Beltrán, Silvia Orte, Ciprian Candea, Gabriele Candea, Giovanna Rizzo

Frontiers in Digital Health, 2020, vol. 2, article 545949, pp. 1-17

Link to the publication

Summary:

In the context of the fourth revolution in healthcare technologies, leveraging monitoring and personalization across different domains becomes a key factor for providing useful services to maintain and promote well-being. This is even more crucial for older people, with aging being a complex multi-dimensional and multi-factorial process which can lead to frailty. The NESTORE project was recently funded by the EU Commission with the aim of supporting healthy older people to sustain their well-being and capacity to live independently. It is based on a multi-dimensional model of the healthy aging process that covers physical activity, nutrition, cognition, and social activity. NESTORE is based on the paradigm of the human-in-the-loop cyber-physical system that, exploiting the availability of Internet of Things technologies combined with analytics in the cloud, provides a virtual coaching system to support healthy aging. This work describes the design of the NESTORE methodology and its IoT architecture. We first model the end-user under several domains, then we present the NESTORE system that, analyzing relevant key-markers, provides coaching activities and personalized feedback to the user. Finally, we describe the validation strategy to assess the effectiveness of NESTORE as a coaching platform for healthy aging.

Design of an ergonomic gestural interface for professional road cycling

Scientific paper ArODES

Maurizio Caon, Rico Süsse, Benoit Grelier, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

Work, 2020, vol. 66, pp. 933-944

Link to the publication

Summary:

BACKGROUND: Connected bike computers can support professional cyclists in achieving better performances but interacting with them requires taking their hands off the handlebar compromising focus and safety. OBJECTIVE: This research aims at exploring the design of an ergonomic interface based on micro-gestures that can allow cyclists to interact with a device while holding the handlebar. METHODS: Three different studies were conducted with seven professional cyclists adopting the gesture-elicitation technique. One study aimed at eliciting free micro-gestures; a second to evaluate gestures recognizable with a smart glove; the last focused on the gestures recognized through an interactive armband. RESULTS: The analysis of the micro-gestures elicited during these studies allowed producing a first set of guidelines to design gestural interfaces for drop-bars (a specific type of handlebar for road bikes). These guidelines suggest which fingers to use and how to design their movement in order to provide an ergonomic interface. It also introduces the principle of symmetry for the attribution of symbols to symmetric referents. Finally, it provides suggestions on the design of the interactive drop-bar. CONCLUSIONS: The guidelines provided in this paper can support the design of gestural interfaces for professional cyclists that can enhance performance and increase safety.

Virtual coaches for older adults’ wellbeing :

Scientific paper ArODES

a systematic review

Mira El Kamali, Leonardo Angelini, Maurizio Caon, Francesco Carrino, Christina Röcke, Sabrina Guye, Giovanna Rizzo, Alfonso Mastropietro, Martin Sykora, Suzanne Elayan, Isabelle Kniestedt, Canan Ziylan, Emanuele Lettieri, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

IEEE Access, 2020, vol. 8, pp. 101884-101902

Link to the publication

Summary:

Virtual Coaches, also known as e-coaches, are a disruptive technology in healthcare. Indeed, among other usages, they might provide cost-effective solutions for increasing human wellbeing in different domains, such as physical, nutritional, cognitive, social, and emotional. This paper presents a systematic review of virtual coaches specifically aimed at improving or maintaining older adults' health in the aforementioned domains. Such digital systems assume various forms, from classic apps, to more advanced conversational agents or robots. Fifty-six articles describing a virtual coach for older adults and aimed at improving their wellbeing were identified and further analyzed. In particular, we presented how previous studies defined their virtual coaches, which behavioral change models and techniques they adopted and the overall system architecture, in terms of monitoring solutions, processing methods and modalities for intervention delivery. Our results show that few thorough evaluations of e-coaching systems have been conducted, especially regarding multi-domain coaching approaches. Through our analysis, we identified the wellbeing domains that should be addressed in future studies as well as the most promising behavior change models and techniques and coaching interfaces. Previous work illustrates that older adults often appreciate conversational agents and robots. However, the lack of a multidomain intervention approach in the current literature motivates us to seek to define future solutions.

Correlation between entrepreneurial orientation and implementation of AI in Human Resources Management (HRM)

Scientific paper ArODES

Rico Baldegger, Maurizio Caon, Kreshnik Sadiku

Technology innovation management review, 2020, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 72-79

Link to the publication

Summary:

This paper develops the concept of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in human resources management (HRM) through a research questionnaire and reports the results of a study designed to investigate the perception of adopting and introducing AI in HRM processes. In addition, it investigates the correlation between entrepreneurship orientation (EO) and AI in HRM processes. A survey was conducted with a sample of 310 firm members in the HR Section Romande, as well as a literature review on the adoption of new technologies. The results indicate a perceived positive value of introducing AI in HRM and a correlation between the level of a company's EO and the introduction of AI in HRM. This means that the more a company is entrepreneurially oriented, the more it tends to implement or include already implemented AI projects and tools in HRM processes. The perceived value of AI in HRM was evaluated by comparing answers to research questions involving the introduction of AI in HRM tools, and expectations of widely implementing AI in the next five years. The main barrier of adopting AI in HRM appeared to be a lack of skills and training. In addition, potential features of implementing AI in HRM were identified as potential steps toward introducing AI as a new technology. Questions regarding the evaluation of EO were based on a research Colvin Slevin (1989). It is important for SMEs to invest in information technology to set the basis for further development. Owing to intensified competitive pressures and the necessity of entering global markets, SMEs are incrementally employing Information Technology (IT) to create substantial benefits. Most prior research has focused more on IT adoption in large organizations, yet when regarding the limited resources of SMEs, the IT adoption process is considerably different. (Ghobakhloo, Sabouri, Hong and Zulkifli, 2011).

2019

Promoting healthy teenage behaviour across three European countries through the use of a novel smartphone technology platform, PEGASO fit for future :

Scientific paper ArODES

study protocol of a quasi-experimental, controlled, multi-Centre trial

Elisa Puigdomenech, Anne Martin, Alexandra Lan, Fulvio Adorni, Santiago Felipe Gomez, Maurizio Caon

BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2019, vol. 19, no 278, pp. 1-13

Link to the publication

Summary:

Background : Behaviour change interventions targeting physical activity, diet, sleep and sedentary behaviour of teenagers show promise when delivered through smartphones. However, to date there is no evidence of effectiveness of multicomponent smartphone-based interventions. Utilising a user-centred design approach, we developed a theory-based, multi-dimensional system, PEGASO Fit For Future (PEGASO F4F), which exploits sophisticated game mechanics involving smartphone applications, a smartphone game and activity sensors to motivate teenagers to take an active role in adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This paper describes the study protocol to assess the feasibility, usability and effectiveness (knowledge/awareness and behavioural change in lifestyle) of the PEGASO system. Methods : We are conducting a quasi-experimental controlled cluster trial in 4 sites in Spain, Italy, and UK (England, Scotland) over 6 months. We plan to recruit 525, in a 2:1 basis, teenagers aged 13–16 years from secondary schools. The intervention group is provided with the PEGASO system whereas the comparison group continues their usual educational routine. Outcomes include feasibility, acceptance, and usability of the PEGASO system as well as between and within group changes in motivation, self-reported diet, physical activity, sedentary and sleeping behaviour, anthropometric measures and knowledge about a healthy lifestyle. Discussion : PEGASO F4F will provide evidence into the cross-cultural similarities and differences in the feasibility, acceptability and usability of a multi-dimensional smartphone based behaviour change intervention for teenagers. The study will explore facilitating factors, challenges and barriers of engaging teenagers to adapt and maintain a healthy lifestyle when using smartphone technology. Positive results from this ICT based multi component intervention may have significant implications both at clinical level, improving teenagers health and at public health level since it can present an influential tool against the development of chronic disease during adulthood.

Codesign of public spaces for intercultural communication, diversity and inclusion

Book chapter ArODES

Alessandra Rinaldi, Leonardo Angelini, Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini, Maurizio Caon

Dans Di Bucchianico, Giuseppe, Advances in design for inclusion : proceedings of the AHFE 2019 International Conference on design for inclusion and the AHFE 2019 International Conference on human factors for apparel and textile engineering, July 24-28, 2019, Washington D.C., USA (Pp. 186-195). 2019, Cham, Switzerland : Springer

Link to the publication

Summary:

The consistent phenomenon of immigration from countries with different cultures, that characterized the last decade, has changed the use of public spaces in European cities. The need to develop innovative solutions aimed at improving intercultural inclusion and mutual understanding of all citizens emerges, so that urban spaces become inclusive, safe and sustainable. This research project is focused on two main questions: (1) can design and technology enable the creation of a different way of living the public space to catalyze interpersonal interaction and to promote a shared sense of citizenship? (2) is it possible to support intercultural communication and to facilitate social inclusion through the design of innovative and interactive public spaces equipped with smart urban furniture? This paper presents three Design Orienting Scenarios as results of the research conducted by several experts, professionals and people with different cultural backgrounds during a focus groups and two different workshops where they made converge competences from design, business, engineering and social sciences to find innovative solutions for the social inclusion of migrants in urban areas.

Enhancing toward the last universal common descendant

Scientific paper ArODES

Johann A. R. Roduit, Maurizio Caon, Vincent Menuz

Journal of posthuman studies, 2018, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 184-189

Link to the publication

Summary:

In the debate addressing socio-ethical issues related to human enhancement, some have suggested that technological modifications of individuals could vastly increase diversity between them. This article argues the contrary. In this thought experiment, we argue that if—as some have argued—we have a moral obligation to use technology to enhance humans and other species, and if such enhancement is understood as improving particular traits only, it might artificially make all the species in the world converge toward a specific one, which we have named the last universal common descendant. In this reductio ad absurdum, we suggest that this argument could be used to challenge the idea that it would be morally good to enhance humans and other species without considering their species limitations.

2018

Utilizzare il design partecipativo per l'innovazione sostenibile

Scientific paper ArODES

Maurizio Caon, Leonardo Angelini, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

Rivista italiana di ergonomia, 2018, no. 16, pp. 9-23

Link to the publication

My pain coach :

Book chapter ArODES

a mobile system with tangible interface for pain assessment

Maurizio Caon, Leonardo Angelini, Katharina Ledermann, Chantal Martin-Sölch, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

Dans Bagnara, Sebastiano, Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018) : volume VII: ergonomics in design, design for all, activity theories for work analysis and design, affective design (Pp. 1372-1381). 2018, Cham : Springer

Link to the publication

Summary:

Pain assessment is an essential first step in planning for and providing pain management. Access to effective pain management programs is often limited, due to scarcity of services. Other barriers to treatment include physical symptoms that limit mobility, distance from a clinic, transportation requirements and cost constraints. In response to these barriers to service delivery, the demand for online health resources is growing. However, current solutions present a number of shortcomings, in particular when referring to usability and accessibility. This paper presents the vision of the My Pain Coach system and the first prototype generated as the result of the first iteration of the development process. This prototype is based on a smartphone app and presents two different interfaces: a force-sensitive touchscreen, and a tangible interface based on a textile mat. A preliminary usability evaluation has been conducted and the results show that these interfaces are perceived as excellent from a usability point of view. Nevertheless, further development and testing are still required for the tangible interface.

Gesturing on the handlebar :

Book chapter ArODES

a user-elicitation study for on-bike gestural interaction

Maurizio Caon, Rico Süsse, Benoit Grelier, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

Link to the publication

Summary:

There are growing numbers of apps and smartphone-mounts for professional cyclists, since they are crucial to track performances during training. However, these solutions require the athlete to take her hand off the handlebar to interact with it. This represents a major safety issue for the cyclists since it requires leaving the brake control, shifting the attention and, possibly, compromising posture. This paper reports the findings of a user elicitation study conducted with seven professional and semi-professional cyclists in order to design gestures that can be performed while maintaining the hands in the correct position on the handlebar. Results report the frequency of fingers used for these gestures, with the index being the favorite. Furthermore, it provides a classification of gestures in three categories: press, extension and swipe. The most convenient gestures were the thumb and index press, followed by the extension of different combinations of fingers.

Designing urban smart furniture for facilitating migrants' integration :

Book chapter ArODES

the co-design workshop as approach for supporting inclusive design

Alessandra Rinaldi, Maurizio Caon, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

Link to the publication

Summary:

European cities are changing due the immigration of people from different cultures. There are many issues related to the integration and dialogue between cultures. Urban design plays a key role in how migrants participate in their host community and it is an important driver for the inclusion process. Facilitating the participation of residents in designing public spaces and their use helps to create a better sense of belonging. Promoting in public spaces the interaction of different cultures becomes a crucial element to facilitate social cohesion and living together. The research project explores an innovative approach in the use of public spaces, through the design of smart urban furniture. Based on a survey of the user’s needs, and on co-design activities, the project investigates innovative solutions for facilitating migrants’ integration and the dialogue between different cultures, through the design of innovative urban furniture, with smart technologies embodied inside. The project, based on the co-design approach of rapid prototyping, creates different kinds of new interaction among urban space and people, and between users of different social or cultural background. The results presented in this paper, were conducted by the research unit of the University of Florence, in cooperation with the Human Tech Institute and the School of Management of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland.

Eudaimonic gamification to engage cancer patients in positive coping strategies

Book chapter ArODES

João Ventura, Sandy Ingram, Maurizio Caon, Maya Zumstein-Shaha, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

Dans Kurosu, Masaaki, Human-computer interaction : interaction in context : 20th International Conference, HCI International 2018, Las Vegas, NV, USA, July 15–20, 2018, Proceedings, Part II (Pp. 206-218). 2018, Cham : Springer

Link to the publication

Summary:

This paper presents a mobile gamified application encouraging positive coping strategies for patients of serious and possibly fatal illnesses. The application concept is based on the analogy between one’s lifetime memories and future bucket lists and a journey in the sea of remembrance, traveling back and forth between past and present positive moments and future wish-lists, whilst being aware that life as water, goes on. This concept was co-designed by a team of UX researchers, engineers, and domain experts applying the principles of Eudaimonic design. The iterative development process brought to the final prototype: a multimedia diary with a gameful interface, which is thoroughly described, along with the relative heuristic and empirical evaluations, in this paper.

Towards cross-generational system design

Book chapter ArODES

Maurizio Caon

Link to the publication

Summary:

This paper introduces the concept of cross-generational system, which indicates an information technology system designed to allow different generations interacting through centuries or, even, millennia. In the era of digital immortality and advances in artificial intelligence, there will be not only the problem of preserving and accessing data, but the emergence of digital clones will bring new challenges for technology development, interaction design and ethics. This paper provides an overview of societal transformation towards digital immortality, then describes the vision of cross-generational system design, investigates the relative future challenges and proposes the eventual socio-ethical questions.

Feet fidgeting detection based on accelerometers using decision tree learning and gradient boosting

Book chapter ArODES

Julien Esseiva, Maurizio Caon, Elena Mugellini, Omar Abou Khaled, Kamiar Aminian

Dans Ortuño, Francesco, Rojas, Ignacio, Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering : 6th International Work-Conference, IWBBIO 2018, Granada, Spain, April 25–27, 2018, Proceedings, Part I (Pp. 75-84). 2018, Cham : Springer

Link to the publication

Summary:

Detection of fidgeting activities is a field which has not been much explored as of now. Studies have shown that fidgeting has a beneficial impact on people's healthiness as it burns a significant amount of energy. Being able to detect when someone is fidgeting would allow to study more closely the health impact of fidgeting. The purpose of this work is to propose an algorithm being able to detect feet fidgeting period of subjects while sitting using 3D accelerometers on both shoes. Initial results on data from 5 subjects collected during this work shows an accuracy of 95% for a classification between sitting with fidgeting and sitting without fidgeting.

Towards the nestore e-coach: a tangible and embodied conversational agent for older adults

Scientific paper

El Kamali Mira, Angelini Leonardo, Caon Maurizio, Giuseppe Andreoni, Abou Khaled Omar, Mugellini Elena

Proceedings of the 2018 ACM International Joint Conference and 2018 International Symposium on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Wearable Computers, 2018

Link to the publication

Summary:

The ability to engage the user in a conversation and the credibility of the system are two fundamental characteristics of virtual coaches. In this paper, we present the architecture of a conversational e-coach for promoting healthy lifestyles in older age, developed in the context of the NESTORE H2020 EU project. The proposed system allows multiple access points to a conversational agent via different interaction modalities: a tangible companion that embodies the virtual coach will leverage voice and other non-verbal cues in the domestic environment, while a mobile app will integrate a text-based chat for a ubiquitous intervention. In both cases, the conversational agent will deliver personalized interventions based on behavior change models and will promote trust by means of emotionally rich conversations.

2017

Bien-être psychologique avec l'âge

Professional paper ArODES

Leonardo Angelini, Francesco Carrino, Maurizio Caon, Elena Mugellini, Omar Abou Khaled, Nadine Couture

Angewandte GERONTOLOGIE Appliquée, 2017, vol. 2

Link to the publication

Summary:

La perte progressive de mobilité chez les seniors peut avoir de lourdes conséquences, pas seulement physiques, mais aussi psychiques et cognitives due à un isolement social croissant. La fenêtre interactive est un outil permettant la communication à distance. Elle est issue d’un projet de recherche qui vise à réduire l’isolement social des seniors en utilisant de nouvelles technologies de manière innovante.

Intelligent assistive technology for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias :

Scientific paper ArODES

a systematic review

Marcello Ienca, Fabrice Jotterand, Bernice Elger, Maurizio Caon, Alessandro Scoccia Pappagallo, Reto W. Kressig, Tenzin Wangmo

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2017, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 1301-1340

Link to the publication

Summary:

Intelligent assistive technologies (IATs) have the potential of offering innovative solutions to mitigate the global burden of dementia and provide new tools for dementia care. While technological opportunities multiply rapidly, clinical applications are rare as the technological potential of IATs remains inadequately translated into dementia care. In this article, the authors present the results of a systematic review and the resulting comprehensive technology index of IATs with application in dementia care. Computer science, engineering, and medical databases were extensively searched and the retrieved items were systematically reviewed. For each IAT, the authors examined their technological type, application, target population, model of development, and evidence of clinical validation. The findings reveal that the IAT spectrum is expanding rapidly in volume and variety over time, and encompasses intelligent systems supporting various assistive tasks and clinical uses. At the same time, the results confirm the persistence of structural limitations to successful adoption including partial lack of clinical validation and insufficient focus on patients’ needs. This index is designed to orient clinicians and relevant stakeholders involved in the implementation and management of dementia care across the current capabilities, applications, and limitations of IATs and to facilitate the translation of medical engineering research into clinical practice. In addition, a discussion of the major methodological challenges and policy implications for the successful and ethically responsible implementation of IAT into dementia care is provided.

2016

Testing the tangible interactive window with older adults

Scientific paper ArODES

Leonardo Angelini, Francesco Carrino, Maurizio Caon, Frédéric Lemaréchal, Nadine Couture, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini

GeroPsych, 2016, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 215-224

Link to the publication

Summary:

Social relationships are crucial for older adults’ well-being. Past research demonstrated that video-communication technology could reduce social isolation. However, most commercial telecommunication systems have interfaces that are too complex to be operated by older adults without assistance. In this paper, we present a system that exploits the tangible affordances of a physical window to provide a natural interface for an always-on video-communication system. In addition, we present a case study focused on the system accessibility and user acceptance with 8 older adults living in a retirement home. We also describe the preliminary findings based on an observation study and on a semistructured interview. Finally, we discuss the possible improvements and impact this system might have on older adults’ life.

2014

PEGASO :

Book chapter ArODES

a personalised and motivational ICT system to empower adolescents towards healthy lifestyle

Stefano Carrino, Maurizio Caon, Leonardo Angelini, Elena Mugellini, Omar Abou Khaled, Silvia Orte, Eloisa Vargiu, Neil Coulson, José C. E. Serrano, Sarah Tabozzi, Neil Lafortuna, Giovanna Rizzo

Dans Graña, Manuel, Howlett, Robert J., Jain, Lakhmi C., Toro, Carlos, Innovation in medicine and helathcare 2014 (pp. 350-359). 2014, Amsterdam, The Netherlands : IOS Press

Link to the publication

Summary:

Unhealthy alimentary behaviours and physical inactivity habits are key risk factors for major non communicable diseases. Several researches demonstrate that juvenile obesity can lead to serious medical conditions, pathologies and have important psycho-social consequences. PEGASO is a multidisciplinary project aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among teenagers through assistive technology. The core of this project is represented by the ICT system, which allows providing tailored interventions to the users through their smartphones in order to motivate them. The novelty of this approach consists of developing a Virtual Individual Model (VIM) for user characterization, which is based on physical, functional and behavioural parameters opportunely selected by experts. These parameters are digitised and updated thanks to the user monitoring through smartphone; data mining algorithms are applied for the detection of activity and nutrition habits and this information is used to provide personalised feedback. The user interface will be developed using gamified approaches and integrating serious games to effectively promote health literacy and facilitate behaviour change.

Affective interaction in smart environments

Scientific paper ArODES

Maurizio Caon, Leonardo Angelini, Omar Abou Khaled, Denis Lalanne, Yong Yue, Elena Mugellini

Procedia Computer Science, 2014, vol. 32, pp. 1016-1021

Link to the publication

Summary:

We present a concept where the smart environments of the future will be able to provide ubiquitous affective communication. All the surfaces will become interactive and the furniture will display emotions. In particular, we present a first prototype that allows people to share their emotional states in a natural way. The input will be given through facial expressions and the output will be displayed in a context-aware multimodal way. Two novel output modalities are presented: a robotic painting that applies the concept of affective communication to the informative art and an RGB lamp that represents the emotions remaining in the user's peripheral attention. An observation study has been conducted during an interactive event and we report our preliminary findings in this paper.

2022

Towards an emotionally augmented metaverse :

Conference ArODES

a framework for recording and analysing physiological data and user behaviour

Leonardo Angellini, Massimo Mecella, Hai-Ning Liang, Danilo Bernardini, Omar Abou Khaled, Elena Mugellini, Maurizio Caon

Proceedings of the 13th Augmented Human International Conference

PEOPLE@HES-SO Directory and Skills inventory

Caon Maurizio

Professeur HES ordinaire/Responsable d'institut

Main skills

Human Computer Interaction

Digital transformation

User Experience Design (UX)

Human-Centered Computing

Digital system design

Design thinking

Digitalisation

Professeur HES ordinaire/Responsable d'institut

PEOPLE@HES-SO
Directory and Skills inventory