Keynote Speaker
Professor Heinz Gerhäuser
Abstract
The aging society and the resulting demographical changes present one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. To successfully cope with these emerging problems requires immediate action e.g. the development of assistance systems. Technical assistance systems will help elderly people to remain active at home, at work, on the road, as well as in communication with their environment. Since technology-based innovations can only be successful if they actually reach people, an interdisciplinary approach is followed to support engineering and science chairs and bodies with concept development and evaluation. In his speech, Prof Gerhäuser will introduce examples and developments from Fraunhofer and from the Bavarian Research Association "FitForAge" to show how new approaches and assistance systems can meet the needs of the aging Society.
About the Speaker
Prof Gerhäuser's main activities include audio and video coding, e.g. development of the MPEG Layer 3 (MP3) format, wireless telecommunications systems, digital broadcasting systems, net access technology, international standardization, microelectronic circuits and systems, communications technology in logistics, medical engineering and teleworking. Wide-ranging research has led to a total of more than 240 national and international patents. Heinz Gerhäuser has published more than 20 conference papers and has given more than 100 international scientific presentations. He played an important role in the ISO standardization of MPEG 1-Audio Layer 3. This audio coding method has succeeded as MP3 system worldwide. Under his direction Fraunhofer IIS made outstanding contributions to the development of digital broadcasting systems.
Keynote Speaker
Professor David Godden
Abstract
Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare
Healthcare in developed countries currently faces significant demographic and fiscal challenges, evidenced by increasingly elderly populations with multiple co-morbidities, increased clinical specialisation and consumerisation and a background of restricted financial resource. These issues are accentuated by geography in rural and remote areas, where additional financial and demographic pressures are leading to cascading of clinical responsibility, such that, for example, functions once performed by a physician may be undertaken by a nurse or paramedic, while paramedic roles may be delivered by lay first responders. Digital technologies offer great promise in supporting effective and equitable delivery of care and in underpinning these new roles, but only if they are appropriately designed, supported by reliable infrastructure and integrated sensitively into clinical practice, taking account of existing professional and patient expectations. This presentation will explore integration issues for technologies in healthcare and the need for user-defined systems. It will draw on examples from current practice to explore how healthcare organisations might work with technology developers to ensure that technologies are configured to maximise likelihood of adoption.
About the Speaker
David Godden is a clinical professor at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and co-director of the Centre for Rural Health https://www.abdn.ac.uk/crh. He has a long held interest in medicine in rural and remote areas, and is a specialist in respiratory medicine. His current major research interest is in the use of technology to support health care delivery. He is lead for the Healthcare research theme in the Rural Digital Economy Hub (dot.rural), recently awarded more than 12 million pounds by the RCUK Digital Economy Programme.
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