(1) Background: Given the increased social isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges faced by informal dementia caregivers have increased. An increasing use of technology, both in care and dementia clinical trials, depends upon caregivers’ abilities as a user. Accordingly, the aim of our study was to verify the current technology (smartphone and computer) use and acceptance in care, regarding socio-demographic variables; (2) Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to 102 dementia caregivers, mostly of patients with moderate dementia; (3) Results: The majority of participants were women (63%), and large number of them used technological devices such as a smartphone (91%) or computer (81%). Results revealed differences between age, gender, and education level on technology acceptance. Interestingly, smartphone use and acceptance seemed to be feasible, regardless of age, whereas computer use was negatively correlated with age. Technology was perceived by respondents as most useful for patients’ activities including locomotion, toileting, and meals; (4) Conclusions: The future of technology use in dementia care should indicate solutions tailored to individual characteristics such as new technology solutions (GPS trackers, smartphone apps, dietary intervention, and meal planning apps).
Abstract-In this paper we propose a fast method for detecting the ground plane in 3D scenes for an arbitrary roll angle rotation of a stereo vision camera. The method is based on the analysis of the disparity map and its "V-disparity" representation. First, the roll angle of the camera is identified from the disparity map. Then, the image is rotated to a zero-roll angle position and the ground plane is detected from the V-disparity map. The proposed method was successfully verified on a simulated 3D scene image sequences as well as on the recorded outdoor stereo video sequences. The foreseen application of the method is the sensory substitution assistive device aiding the visually impaired in the space perception and mobility.
In this paper we propose an electronic travel aid system for the visually impaired that utilizes interactive sonification of U-depth maps of the environment. The system is comprised of a depth sensor connected to a mobile device and a dedicated application for segmenting depth images and converting them into sounds in real time. An important feature of the system is that the user can interactively select the 3D scene region for sonification by simple touch gestures on the mobile device screen. The sonification scheme is using stereo panning for azimuth angle localization of scene objects, loudness for their size and frequency for distance encoding. Such a sonic representation of 3D scenes allows the user to identify the geometric structure of the environment and determine the distances to potential obstacles. The prototype application was tested by three visually impaired users who managed to successfully perform indoor mobility tasks. The system's usefulness was evaluated quantitatively by means of system usability and task-related questionnaires.
The thermal diffusivity of building materials is an extremely important parameter influencing the subsequent thermal comfort of building users. By definition, thermal diffusivity describes how quickly heat from a hot source can flow through a material. Therefore, this parameter includes both the thermal conductivity and the heat capacity of the material. This parameter is often neglected in heat-related calculations which, in the case of dynamic problems, leads to unreliable results. It should be taken into account that heat flows through all materials at a finite speed. On the other hand, knowing the correct thermal diffusivity value of building materials, it is possible to accurately determine the internal parameters in rooms over time. There are several methods for determining thermal diffusivity, most of which are destined to determine this property in laboratories. The aim of the present research is to show how the thermal diffusivity of materials can be determined in existing buildings. The presented method can be used to determine more real thermal parameters used for thermal calculations in buildings, for example, during energy audits or when calculating the demand for cooling for air conditioning or heat for space heating. This research presents the results for a 60 cm brick wall. Thermal diffusivity was determined for specific summer and winter days—most representative of the whole year. This research has shown that the applied method should be used in the summer period, due to the fact that the wall has greater temperature fluctuations. The obtained results are comparable with the previously mentioned laboratory methods. However, due to the fact that the materials analyzed on the spot, the results are more reliable, and also take into account changes in the value of thermal diffusivity resulting from the use of binders, inaccuracies in joining and external layers made of other materials.
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