Projects Conducting sucessful joint research with the iHomeLab

4Generations

The iHomeLab accompanies a subproject of «4Generations», in which several elderly people test a language assistant in their homes over a longer period of time. Open systems such as «Google Home» and «Alexa» will be compared with the closed system «Allegra». The difference of the systems is that closed systems cannot be changed, but open systems can. Thus «Allegra» is specialized only in emergency call and radio. With the open systems the user can activate further functions and adapt the system according to its needs. Schoolgirls and schoolboys ot the Elementa day school in Zug were able to implement a simple emergency call function in the open systems. In several interviews, they will interview the test persons and compare their experiences with the devices in everyday life. This subproject will last until the end of the 2018/19 school year.

SCCER «Future Energy Efficient Buildings & Districts» (FEEBD)

In the project «SCCER – FEEBD» we investigate methods for the recognition of user behaviour in order to enable user-centered control strategies. We expect the users of a building to better accept the building management system. In order to achieve this goal, we analyse the interactions between the building management system and the user behaviour. 
More information

Cyber-Human System

In this project a new sensor network is developed that helps clinicians to optimize medication in Parkinson patients. The sensor network includes wearable sensors and ambient sensors and uses machine learning algorithms to better quantify patient symptoms, supporting the medication prescription process.

Energy Aware IoT

An approach for smart efficiency optimisations in the grid lies in the usage of connected, energy-aware devices. The goal of this study is to identify the challenges and sketch possible solution scenarios to grasp the complexity and get an overview of the energy-related potential of a smart, networked energy-awareness of devices in and outside the IoT.

Pontis

Feasibility study on the use of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for interaction with building services technology. The project aims to close the gap between BCI devices from the fundamental research field and the consumer segment to optimize the technology’s market viability.

The project investigates the feasibility of a concept which extends an existing heavy current monitoring of industrial machines in distribution cabinets by a load breakdown system and thus shows the consumption of individual consumer groups and devices.

Speech Control

Feasibility study on speech recognition for room automation systems (speech control, speech recognition, room automation)

Living well with Anne

Personal assistant for people with mild dementia. In this project, an existing personal assistant will be extended with features that meet the specific needs of older people with early dementia. The goal is to provide an effective, client-friendly and affordable solution to enable this target group to live independently longer and maintaining a higher level of quality of life, this in turn will affect caregivers by alleviating them more.

SAM&Me

«SAM&Me» explores the self-learning, interactive core of the digital butler SAM. The project aims to create a low-threshold access to meaningful services for people who are excluded from the digital world or are tired of their growing complexity. SAM reverses the interaction paradigm - it serves the user, not the other way around. 

HANNA

The project explores the personal assistance system «HANNA» for people with dementia and their families . The system detects situations independently, provides situational simple communication functions to the members and interacts actively with the demented person. It automatically adopts its user interface and behavior to the disease's progression.

Efficient PV system monitoring with current weather data

Test and improvement of the monitoring system of EGON AG. The system calculates based on the latest weather information, the target production of a system and compares it to the actual production. This loss of production (for example caused by string failure).

iBigCare  

Study about the effectiveness and applicability of assistive monitoring systems. The aim of the project is to investigate the following issues related to the state-of-the-art and the data of monitoring systems for the use at home:

• Requirements for assistance systems
• What data can be collectet using different sensor types?
• What data is contrived for evaluating, what basic mechanisms can be used and what could be the result of it?
• How is the privacy of the persons directly involved ensured

The questions should be answered in order to create a start-up project.

Kith & Kin

Communication device (for the elderly) with simple options for electronically exchanging messages, appointments, images, movies etc. within defined groups of people (family, multiple generations, support teams). An NFC-capable tablet will be extended with a functional frame on which actions may be triggered with NFC tags.
Project Website

My Life, My Way

A modern version of a butler: a personal assistant that is easy to use (speach recognition of local dialects) and able to learn autonomously the persons preferences and needs. The assistant will combine tailor made services according to the persons needs like agenda maintenance, medicine alerts, supervison or excercise.

WizEE

Electrical energy is generated increasingly decentralized with intermittent sources and the consumer is becoming a prosumer, because he often also produces electrical energy. To balance supply and demand, utilities will influence energy usage patterns with time dependent tariffs. Thus the prosumer has to decide, whether to sell, buy, consume or store energy. To support this process a brokerage system will be explored, which leverages the smart grid infrastructure.

Feasibility Study-POF

Since POF (Polymer Optical Fiber) transmit data  via  purely optical plastic fibers, the corresponding cables can be run in the 230-V installation pipes. This project aims to find out whether  POF technology could be suitable for a smart home fieldbus. Within the project, issues such as of installation, frame sizes, costs, bus concept and transmission losses are to be clarified.

Energy Efficiency in IoT

Investigation for the International Energy Agency (IEA) about the energy consumption of networked devices within the Internet of Things.

ZocAALo

A platform is being created as part of the «ZocAALo» project with the aim of helping to market smartphone apps specially designed for older people. On the one side the platform comprises a «marketplace» for offering apps exclusively for the target group. The user-friendliness of these apps will be assessed beforehand. In addition, the platform supports developers of apps aimed at older people, for example by providing format templates or development kits. The platform is highly customizable so e.g. care organizations can combine a selection of useful apps into their own app and make this available to their customers.

eGlasses

The result of the «eGlasses» project will be an open platform in the form of multisensory electronic multimedia glasses and a set of new methods for intelligent user interactions, especially in the context of perceptual media.

Trans.Safe

«Trans.Safe» wants to develop a system to support senior workers who can and wish to stay actively longer in a job position with a high personal and public safety risks. The solution will help the senior workers and employees with an monitoring System for Stress parameters and performance.

REVOLUTION

«REVOLUTION» wants to develop an innovative ICT-based solution for promoting and assisting voluntary services provided by retired people. Within the scope of «REVOLUTION» we focus on simple and effective realtime scheduling of help for persons and families with a short-term need for assistance in the context of driving services, shopping services and help at home.

CarerSupport

«CarerSupport» develops a new service that supports informal carers of elderly people in multiple ways, including training/education, psychological support, interaction with formal carers, as well as tele-consulation about issues arising during the provision of care.
 
The carers can subscribe to the platform and can assess a wealth of training materials, tips and utilities. Tey can discuss issues with several experts, while also exchanging views with other carers in similar position.

healthy@work

«healthy@work» is an app that tries to keep older employees of care-organizations more healthy in the work process for a longer time. To achieve this, a smartphone app is developed that gives the user specific tips and time to improve his health at the workplace.

YouDo

«YouDo» explores a platform with  training content to support  family members of needy people (informal carers).  The training program can be received via TV or Internet and includes information on the 10 most important care and ageing  topics such as dementia, fall prevention and nutrition.

REALYSE

«REALYSE» will show the full potential of the so called NIALM technology (Non Intrusive Appliance Load Monitoring). The measured values, the fingerprint, will be used to benchmark the appliance with the best in class products. A benchmark portal like TopTen.ch will be interfaced to give a hint which product will serve the needs the most efficient way. 

Demand-Response

«Demand-Response» researches smart concepts with companies like BKW, Siemens, swissgrid and MeteoSchweiz to enable energy suppliers and consumers to adapt and be ready for the energy market of the future.

DALIA (Assistant for Daily Life Activities at Home)

«DALIA» aims to provide an integrated home system that supports older adults as primary end-users, informal carers or services of formal care and medical services. The System will assist the older adult mastering their daily life tasks, for instance to help in finding lost objects such as keys, glasses, or remind older adults to take their medication.

INSPIRATION

The goal of «INSPIRATION» is to help older adults living a healthier life to stay mentally and physically fit. The digital coach will motivate them to be active. The focus points are: Mastering the everyday life, managing the  shopping, analysing  the actual health status.

RelaxedCare

At the moment there are no existing solutions on the market to find out how the assisted person is doing without getting in direct contact. The «RelaxedCare» system aims to build a solution that detects the actual state of an assisted person and communicates it in a pervasive and unobtrusive way to the caregiver.

«RelaxedCare» is the winner of the AAL Award 2015.  Project Website

NEUTUN

«NEUTUN» researches a method for the accurate assessment of the residual life of these network components using low-cost devices. In this research project,  current and voltage analysis will be used to determine the residual life. To date, a cost-effective method and equipment for assessing the condition of network components are missing.

DC in Buildings

This potential study investigates the topic «increase of the energy efficiency with DC nets in buildings». The study shows technical hurdles and challenges  to switch over to 100 percent DC energy distribution and examinates the contribution to the increase of the energy efficiency of different equipment.

Hybrid Hubs

The goal of this project is to develop a «building communication hub» that create a bridge between employees and colleagues, regardless of time and distance. The building acts as a communications-hub.

CoCome

«Cocome» explores the possibility of using building infrastructure interfaces for different type of applications. These interfaces often have a secure communication link. The project «CoCome» researches whether these compounds are safe to be used for other applications, which also require a high level of data security.

Analysis DigitalStrom

In this project the functional, technical possibilities of «digitalSTROM» chips are tested and verified. In addition, the electricity consumption caused by this installation is identified.

Care4Balance

The «Care4Balance» system supports the older adult by facilitating autonomy. The system supports the informal carers in the provision of care. It will support the collaboration with formal caregivers in the provision of care.

ufeel

«ufeel» explores an innovative, user-centered and adaptive system for the automation of commercial buildings. A newly designed, context sensitive user interaction model and method for identifying users and situations allows the control of lighting and blinds actuators so that users are satisfied and at the same time a situationally optimal energy efficiency can be maintained.

Swarm Intelligence

802.15.4 «Swarm Intelligence» explores a novel approach to improve energy efficiency in buildings using sensor nodes that will create a sensor network. The radio-based sensor nodes can be used directly in existing devices without the need to modify the existing electrical installation.

BUTLER (uBiquitous, secUre inTernet-of-things with Location and contEx-awaReness)

«BUTLER» will integrate current and develop new technologies to form a «bundle» of applications, platform features and services that will bring the vision of Internet of Things  to life. We focus on smart resource management and digital security to ensure the pervasiveness  and awareness required from users.

CONFIDENCE (A Mobility Safeguarding Assistance Service with Community Functionality for People)

«CONFIDENCE» provides people with mild or moderate dementia with a novel solution which combines personal help and technology support as needed by the end users. To this purpose, a community consisting of family members, staff of home care agencies will be built up by the use of advanced ICT.

«CONFIDENCE» is the winner of the AAL Award 2014

iWalkActive

Technically and conceptually, the idea of «iWalkActive» goes beyond that of a conventional walking aid. It takes an innovative walker frame (the Veloped) combines it with the possibilities of state of the art ICT technology acting as a mobile device dock connected to valuable navigation and assistance services in the cloud and extends it with an efficient, powerful supportive e-drive. 

«iWalkActive» is the winner of the AAL Award 2013  Project Website

HEARO

«HEARO» does research for a new system to integrate hearing aids into the domestic environment. The Goal is to improve the security and comfort of individuals with hearing limitations. 

Roboscoop

The project «Roboscoop» links robotic-technologies with AAL. The goal of the project is to extend the programming framework Scoop of the ETH with capabilities especially needed to easily implement robotic functionalities. As a proof of concept  an autonomously driving smart walker will be developed.

iSens (Projectname INAT)

The aim of this project is the development of a sensor which recognizes the lack of movement in the home and triggers an alarm. If the sensor detects a configurable time without motion, a pre-alarm is triggered. If this is not acknowledged, the alarm will be forwarded.

iKnowWatt

The intelligent powersocket «iKnowWatt» which has been developed together with the Federal Office of Energy, Landis+Gyr, BKW, ewz Feller and Swisscom recognizes the electrical devices connected to it and measures their power consumption. The energy consumption is visualized on a standard display (iPhone, tablet, etc.) and gives tips on saving electricity.
 
This makes it possible to compare the power consumption of the devices an repalce the ones which are not energy efficient. Users can control their own energy consumption and learn how to improve it. In Swiss households, up to 15 percent of electrical energy could be saved, just by visualization.

LoReMa

Studies are showing that systems which give the occupants a detailed feedback on their energy usage, result in an average energy saving of 5 to 15 percent. «LoReMA» helps to utilize this potential. Its goal is to measure every single appliance in the household and to display their energy consumption in real time. The energy is measured directly inside the power socket and transmitted to the display by means of a low power ZigBee radio link.

Ping Dongle

Zig Bee USB Dongle including Diagnosis - and Ping-Software.                                                        

MIRACO

The «MIRACO» project explores a middleware for the controller of a novel room automation system. With «MIRACO» the logic (software) was disconnected from the hardeware. This way the costs for installation and maintenance were significantly reduced.

eMeDi

The energy measurement dimmer «eMeDi» measures the energy of a electrical device and sends this information wirelessly to an information display. Through the detailed information about the energy consumption, the residents can optimize the energy consumption. In addition, the «eMeDi» can switch or dim a device.

IMPACT

The objective of «IMPACT» is to research and develop a reliable infrastructure for personal energy management (PEM) application. Including energy consumption visualisation, load control and micro generation.

WLOP (Wireless Landing Operating Panel)

«WLOP» researches the possibilities of a novel elevator operating panel. The aim is to develop a device that has three main characteristics: wireless, powerless and buttonless. Additionally, after installation the device should work without maintenance.  This should lead to lower cost of installation and maintenance.

MEGA

«MEGA» research is focused on innovative, ready-to-use solutions to increase the energy efficiency in private housholds. The chosen approach wants  to precisely measure the energy usage of all major consumers in real-time, process the collected data smartly and finally present it to the inhabitant in a user friedly way.

WeBee 3G Fall Detection

Elderly people would like to stay in their own home as long as possible. For most of them it is a difficult step if they need to move to a nursing home. On the other side if a person lives at home alone she could fall down and get hurt and perhaps nobody notices it for a long time.

SARBAU (Security & Reliability in Building Automation and Control)

Next generation building control and automation networks will migrate from fieldbus solutions to IP based solutions using wired and wireless connections, with rise of security- and reliability concerns. Our project investigates these issues and aims to develop an integrated approach adopting common IT network technologies to low resource embedded platforms. Beyond common IP encryption and authentication schemes like SSL and IEEE802.11i we concentrate on automatic configuration, enhancement and adoption of the Universal Plug&Play protocol (UPnP) as well as localisation to overcome the issues and ensure high security and reliability of the system. 

easyLoc (Building Automation Device Localization)

The objective of «easyLoc» is to carry out research into a localization procedure to determine the precise position of building automation devices. Large numbers of these devices are used in office buildings, shopping malls, hospitals, airports, etc., for example to control air conditioning, lighting, access controls, or alarm signals.

This technology should be integrated into future building automation devices and configuration tools. To this end, procedures and algorithms are being studied and functional models are being developed.

Unite

The project «Unite» aims to research universal network infrastructure technologies for eHomes. Our contributions include a requirement analysis and an evaluation of existing network structures and integration technologies. We will also develop a full system architecture that will serve as a basis for an implementation that we will integrate into the iHomeLab. 

iLJ (Intelligent Light Jockey)

There is a growing demand for multimedia entertainment that combines music, light and video. In this project we want to research the connections between the specific media and develop a software that can produce high quality multimedia shows automatically.

EnerBee

The «EnerBee» project aims to build up a reliable, monitored infrastructure for wireless networks of Advanced Metering Devices. We are working on and using the new smart energy profile of the ZigBee Alliance as a basis for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). 

WeBee 3G

The 802.15.4 / ZigBee wireless node is based on the 2430 SoC from TI. On the hardware there is also a thermometer,  an accelerometer and a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor can resolve a difference in height of up to 25 cm.   

WeBee4

The «WeBee4» is an 802.15.4 / ZigBee sensor node with an extended range. It is based on the Ember SoC EM250. Transmission and reception amplifiers make it possible to achieve a range of up to 2.2 km. 

WeBee3

«WeBee3» is a miniaturized, battery-operated sensor. The heart of the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee hardware node is a TI/Chipcon SoC type CC 2431. The onboard ZigBee stack allows full integration of the «WeBee3» into ad-hoc mesh networks as an end device. Used as a temperature sensor, the «WeBee3» can function for over 10 years without replacing or recharging the battery.  

AI4DJ (Artificial Intelligence for Disc Jockeys)

More and more DJs are using large music databases with thousands of songs. There is a growing demand for easy-to-use tools that allow DJs to quickly find the songs that fit best into their current playlists. «AI4DJ»  is a project that is using technologies from the world of artificial intelligence and signal processing to develop software that can make song recommendations based on a DJ's preferences, the mood of a music track, and other parameters. 

CARUSO

In our daily life we are surrounded by many electronic devices equipped with communication interfaces to share information with other devices or with the users. The goal of the «CARUSO» project is to make user interaction with such devices easier and more consistent. To demonstrate the results of the project, we will develop a system architecture that, for e.g., allows a user to lower blinds, control the volume of a stereo system, or turn on lights using their cell phone.

GetNotes

The goal of the project GetNotes! is to automatically retrieve notes that are played by individual instruments in a piece of music. This should be achieved by using pattern recognition algorithms and knowledge about instruments and music composition. 

iLoc (Indoor Localization)

We have developed a system that can locate moving and fixed objects inside of a building. We use supersonic sound waves and wireless technology for a system which can be used e.g. for a guidance system. A demonstrator is integrated in the iHomeLab. 

WiBui (Wireless Building Evaluation)

This project focuses on wireless systems in buildings. Its aim is to achieve three goals: Carry out technology evaluation, a device and frequency comparison, and IEEE802.15.4 performance benchmarking. 

UComp (UPnP Compression)

This project is investigating data compression for wireless UPnP protocols. A test system has been built and used to test several compression algorithms and existing UPnP stacks. 

proDJgy (Professional DJ Technology)

Today’s computers have features that allow DJs to store all their music on a hard disk. To play songs on a computer a DJ needs player software and a user interface that responds quickly and reliably to his inputs. The «proDJgy» project has developed a hardware controller and digital DJ software that provide the DJ with all the functionality he needs.  

WeBee

«WeBee» is an embedded ZigBee-Webserver-JVM Solution. A SOAP enabled Webserver, a Java Virtual Machine, and a ZigBee communication stack are integrated on a small platform. The biggest advance is the low costs thanks to lowest resource usage.

EtherBee

«EtherBee» is a low-cost Ethernet - IEEE 802.15.4 gateway. An 8-bit micro controller platform has been used to implement TCP/IP communication over IEEE 802.15.4. Low costs have been achieved thanks to lowest resource usage. 

OPCXML

OPC (OLE for Process Control) is a widely-used interface definition in automation. The goal of this project is to implement an OPC XML data access server for two different embedded operation systems (Windows CE and Nucleus RTOS). Benchmark tests have been carried out for several operating systems. 

PnP

This project studied Plug-and-Play technologies for building automation in order to build a demonstrator for a self-configuring field device. The goal is to reduce the deployment costs of field devices. 

NexT/NexT-2

The project focuses on developing a Java Virtual Machine with very low resource requirements that can be used for 8-bit micro controllers. Java libraries have been implemented for small embedded systems and an appropriate development environment. 

WED (Web Enabled Devices)

«WED» is an implementation of Web Services for small embedded systems with highly limited resources. Our contribution: A small embedded system with internet connectivity, a small webserver, a small Java Virtual Machine (JVM), and implementation of XML-RPC and SOAP.

InfoTronic

The goal was to develop a new «InfoTronic» training course. Instruction on embedded systems was carried out and a training platform was developed for this training course. 

NEmP

Project objective: Introduction of a new platform for microcomputer technology training. A suitable, appropriate successor for the Motorola 68HC11 micro controller was evaluated and retrofitted into the existing training platform.