Author: Ramón Hervás Lucas
Advisor: Prof. José Bravo Rodríguez

This dissertation presents an infrastructure that contributes to ubiquitous information. Advances in Ambient Intelligence may help to provide us with the right information at the right time, in an appropriate manner and through the most suitable device for each situation. It is therefore crucial for such devices to have contextual information; that is, to know the person or persons in need of information, the environment, and the available devices and services. All of this information, in appropriate models, can provide a simplified view of the real world and let the system act more like a human and, consequently, more intelligently. A suitable context model is not enough; proactive user interface adaptation is necessary to offer personalized information to the user. In this Ph.D Thesis, we present mechanisms for the management of contextual information, reasoning techniques and adaptable user interfaces to support visualization services, providing functionality to make decisions about what and how available information can be offered. Additionally, we present the ViMos framework, an infrastructure to generate context-powered information visualization services dynamically.

Author: Salvador W. Nava Díaz
Supervisor: Prof. José Bravo Rodríguez and Prof. Ramón Hervás Lucas

This thesis deals with the proposal of a framework and an architecture that allow the design and modeling of environments able to perceive the context-awareness through tagging. In this proposal, we have carried out an analysis of the domain related with the context-awareness. Thus, we have defined the relevant entities of the environment such as areas, devices, objects and users, as well as the contextual information acquired from the actions performed with these entities. In this way, the architecture can support and provide (implicit) adaptive services, not only to the user interacting with the entities in a certain moment, but also to other users; these users can receive context-awareness services subsequently, in a proactive way. On the other hand, the model includes a grammar to represent the dynamic behavior of the environment, a classification of the interactions, and mechanisms to implement the context-awareness services by means of tagging.

This Ph.D. Thesis aims to provide a model for taking advantage of the actions carried out by the users and, in consequence, offer better services in an implicit way, helping in the development of user’s activities. Basically, these characteristics are activated by means of the link of contextual information with relevant entities of the environment, and by mechanisms to give the needed support for generating context-awareness services through tagging. Thus, the effort made by the users is reduced considerably.

Author: Vladimir Villarreal Contreras
Supervisor: Prof. José Bravo Rodríguez and Prof. Ramón Hervás Lucas

This thesis has been developed with the purpose of offering technological solutions that allow patients improved and timelier follow-up and control of their disease, offering constant and timely responses. A conceptual framework called «MoMo» (Mobile Monitoring) allows for the development of parameterized mobile applications. This is conducive to medical tracking through mobile devices, which are in daily use by the patient, and biometric devices that currently offer high technological performance.

The applications based on the framework are generic, adaptable, remote and mobile. Generic, because they allow for the development of applications for multiple diseases following the conceptual design of the developed framework. Adaptable, because they offer services tailored to each type of disease and personalize the user’s characteristics, making the interaction more transparent. Remote, because the medical staff can be aware of data obtained by the patient biometric devices through the mobile device in a non-intrusive manner. Mobile, because development is based on the integration of small size, portable and wireless devices. These applications provide greater autonomy for the patient.

Author: Jesús Fontecha Diezma
Supervisor: Prof. José Bravo Rodríguez and Prof. Ramón Hervás Lucas

This doctoral thesis proposes a system for supporting physicians and geriatricians in frailty detection and diagnosis, by using smartphones and accelerometer sensors in combination with a set of clinical parameters associated with fragility. In addition to developing the system, this work also presents the methods and procedures needed to set up several aspects of frailty assessment in ubiquitous and healthcare environments, by using a service-based approach.

Applying classification mechanisms and similarity algorithms as part of the assessment, is another contribution of this work, taking into account the difficulty of a comprehensive assessment of frailty nowadays. Similarly, a mobile application has been developed to provide the geriatrician a tool which encourages the visualization and interpretation of frailty results facilitating the clinical decision-making.

Ph.D Candidate: Tania Mondéjar Palomares M.Sc
Advisor: Ramón Hervás Lucas Ph.D & José Miguel Latorre Postigo Ph.D

Nowadays, we are living a different use and understanding of videogames. Particularly, Serious Games aim to develop specific objectives beyond entertainment, mainly, educational and training objectives. There is a novel perspective that uses Serious Games as an innovative tool in the field of health (health games).

This thesis belongs to that perspective due to its multidisciplinary approach focused on neurosciences and computation. The main goal is to determine the neuropsychological brain functions while using videogames to help the design of serious games with health purposes, particularly, to support the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive-related pathologies

Ph.D Candidate: Esperanza Johnson Ruiz

Advisor: Ramón Hervás Lucas Ph.D

With a certain percentage of the population having been diagnosed with different forms of Social Communications Disorders (SCD), current assistive technologies can improve their quality of life. In this thesis we explore the way in to approach an assistive system for improving SCD, based on human-avatar interaction.

This thesis will contribute with a general methodology that develops different kinds of interaction between humans and avatars, including the relationship among them and their communication skills. These skills are typically training to treat SCD.

Ph.D Candidate: Carlos Gutierrez López de la Franca.
Advisor: Ramon Hervás Lucas Ph.D

Activity Recognition in a scientific setting is a field that is extremely popular, in which numerous and diverse proposals exist and tackle the creation of systems capable of recognising activities through different types of sensors.

Therefore, with this proposal we intend to analyse the Behaviourof people, with a focus not only based on Activity Recognition but also with a strong component centred on smart environments with context awareness and supported by the foundations of the Psychology of Behaviour.

Ph.D Candidate: Luis Cabañero Gómez.
Advisor: Ramon Hervás Lucas Ph.D

Advisor: Iván González Díaz Ph.D

This doctoral thesis will study how to design interactive applications that induce cognitive improvement of users. To do this it will be necessary to evaluate the cognitive state using Electroencephalography (EEG), a non-intrusive technique that arises in a medical context that allows to measure the electrical potential generated by the brain. During the thesis it will be studied and it will be determined which computational EEG techniques allow demonstrating cognitive improvement after the prolonged use of interactive applications. From these findings it will be possible to establish design principles of interactive applications that improve specific cognitive skills.

Retos de Investigación – Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades

http://mamilab.esi.uclm.es/

Fundación MAPFRE. Ayudas a la investigación de Ignacio H. de Larramendi.

http://mamilab.esi.uclm.es/dimo/

Financed by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. CICYTTIN2013-47152-C3-1-R

Marie Curie European Project REF 316337
http://www.ubihealth-project.eu/

Financed by European Union. AAL Joint Programme (Call 5)

http://www.pia-project.org/

Financed by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. CICYT TIN2010-20510-C04-04

CLM Regional Project.

CLM Regional project

Financed Work – Ministerio de Industria FIT-350300-2007-86.

Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha PII2I09-0127-2321

CCNT Company UCTR070023