Workshops scheduled for September 25^th 2012 | Brussels, Belgium

Mobile Technologies for Wellbeing: Design and Evaluation Basics
Mariano ALACNIZ, Universidad Politecnica Research Center
Andrea GAGGIOLI, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano
There is no doubt that mobile technologies are changing the way individuals interact with health. A growing number of mobile applications and services is being developed that assist users in keeping healthy lifestyle and monitor their everyday behaviors. Further, the possibility of connecting smartphones with various types of sensors is enabling new opportunities for monitoring and promoting mental and physical wellbeing. In this workshop, you will learn the basic principles can be used to design and evaluate mobile applications for wellbeing. We will follow a hands-on format that begins with theory discussions/demonstrations and finishes with a practical exercise, in which participants will create a first design of their own mobile wellbeing application.

VR for the Brain: Cognitive Assessment and Rehabilitation
Evelynne KLINGER, Arts et Metiers ParisTech
Naomi JOSMAN, University of Haifa
Following a Central Nervous System (CNS) trauma, there is an urgent need for efficient cognitive evaluation and rehabilitation. This process is often long and arduous, and the therapists face the challenge of finding effective and motivating interventions for the recovery of autonomy, notably in both Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL). VR?based cognitive rehabilitation appears to provide an answer to this challenge. Functional virtual environments seem to be a possible way to overcome the limitations of the traditional approaches. The workshop aims at offering an overview of concepts and research in the field of cognitive rehabilitation. This will include: an introduction on virtual reality (VR), a critical review of the traditional approaches, the rationale for using VR in neuropsychological rehabilitation, an overview of research in that field, a swot analysis and finally some demonstrations.

Brain-Computer Interface Workshop
Rupert ORTNER, g.tec Guger Technologies
Research groups all over the world are working feverishly and successfully on a direct connection between the human brain and a computer, a so-called Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). A brain-computer interface translates brain waves into control signals. In recent years, BCIs have been developed for people with severe disabilities to improve their quality of life. BCI systems can be used for many applications, such as restoration of movements, communication, and environmental control. During our upcoming workshop tour, we will demonstrate major concepts for BCI control by using motor imagery, P300 and steady state evoked potentials (SSVEP) for spelling and robot control. New trends like active and dry EEG electrodes and invasive ECoG based systems will be explained. This allows the audience to see all required hardware and software, the typical training and classifier setup, and the overall performance in real-world settings. We will invite people from the auditorium to participate in the live demonstrations.