1. Pervasive Computing
addressing
Cognitive Impairments
Kelly Nichols
Thesis Studio I : Midterm
Prof. Scott Pobiner
11.03.10

2. How can pervasive
technologies assist in
helping to remind us of all
of the information we put
in computers?

3. At a Glance

4. Existing scheduling
software packages offer
good appointment and
task management.

5. Robust reminder and
notification strategies
are lacking.

6. Task Watch whiteboard

7. Cuckoo IP

8. Daily Stack [Objects]

9. Some Information

10. Less Information

11. Make Physical

12. Glacially Kinetic

13. Hourglass Poetics

14. Prototype
Not a Lamp

15. What Was Prototyped
1. Persistent display of information in the
environment.
2. Display of abbreviated data set.
3. Dynamic display of information over
time.
4.Information display responding to on-
the-fly schedule revisions.

17. Cognitive Prostheses
Devices, systems, and strategies
that assist the user with memory,
attention, concentration.

18. Who does this affect?
• Elderly
• The number of people age 65 and older is expected to grow from 39 million in 2008
to 72 million in 2030, and the number of people with AD doubles for every 5-year
interval beyond age 65.
• Developmentally Disabled
• 800,000 children and adults in the United States are living with one or more of the
symptoms of cerebral palsy.
• Cognitive impairment is present in two thirds of patients with cerebral palsy.
• Those with Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Veterans, Automobile Crash Survivors, etc
1. American Family Physician, January 2006, www.aafp.org
2. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, www.ninds.nih.gov
3. National Institute on Aging, www.nia.nih.gov
1
3

19. How can pervasive
technologies help
cognitively impaired users
in particular?

20. Shadow Reminder

21. Interface to assist people
with dementia
in remembering
the procedural tasks
involved in their
activities of daily living

22. COACH
“Cognitive Orthosis for Assisting aCtivities in the Home”
Prompting device for guiding user through hand washing.
Uses video tracking of the hands to determine which steps
of the task have been completed. Provides audio prompts to
keep the user on track.
Precedent
http://web.cs.toronto.edu/research/profiles/coach.htm

23. Ambient Kitchen
A lab-based replication of a real kitchen where careful
design has hidden the additional technology, and allows both
the evaluation of pervasive computing prototypes and the
simultaneous capture of the multiple synchronized streams
of sensor data.
Precedent
http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1579114.1579161

24. Drawing applications record
traces of a user’s movements

25. Cabinet Setup

26. User Scenario

27. Integration with existing
smart home technologies

28. Task Recognition
&
Determination of Intervention

29. Integration with RFID system

30. Could provide additional cues

31. Things to Consider
• Depth is occluded.
• Will surface allow sufficient shadow for
video recording?
• Projector inside of cabinet precludes
additional storage.
• Surface requires structural support,
translucency, and food-grade material.
• Cost could prohibit domestic use.

32. • Reaching out to Neuropsychologist
• Attended ASSETS 2010
• Met Prof. Jesse Hoey (COACH,
Ambient Kitchen)
• Looking for an elder care facility with
which to volunteer.
Grounding in field

33. How will field testing and
evaluation be conducted?

34. Thank you