eWALL Offers more Secure and Enjoyable life to Senior Citizens

According to the rating of the European Commission, Croatia plays an important role in scientific research, although it just recently became a member of the European Union. The European Commission stated an important contribution from the private sector, specially highlighting the company Ericsson Nikola Tesla, which actively participates in a series of European projects. In the project UNIVERSAAL, which should enable ICT industry an easier development and implementation of solutions for the, so called Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) – hardware and software, which will increase the quality of life for elderly population, project Cloudscale, and other projects, as is the eWALL.

Ericsson Nikola Tesla participates in EU project, collaborating with 13 partners from 12 different countries. The project, with a budget worth almost EUR 9 mn, has a goal to develop an electronic wall in the next three years, which will help elderly and infirm citizens to gain greater independence and a better quality of life at their home. The project called eWALL will be conducted by the researches from the Danish Aalborg University, where the participants recently held their first meeting. Interactive wall device will help senior users in actively enjoying their lives with the greatest independence possible. Electronics, together with the corresponding infrastructure, will enable a real time communication with all the health care system sectors, so that the seniors will feel comfortable in their homes, even in case of a treatment or a recovery.

An important goal of this project is to make this system tailored to individual needs. Heart and lungs disorder, decreased muscle function and movement control are just some of the problems which senior citizens have to bear with, and which increase the risk of living at their own homes. Furthermore, they can suffer a memory loss, a weaker sense of orientation and a reduced ability to cope in complex situations, and cases of mild dementia also demand a continued support from health professionals.   

Darko Huljenić, DSc, Manager for Technology and Scientific Activities at Ericsson Nikola Tesla told us a bit about Croatia’s role in this project: “Our company participates in all activities defined by this project and manages the activities dedicated to eWALL platform development. We will also lead the part of the project related to solution architecture and participate in eWALL system integration. This projects represents an excellent expansion of the existing company solutions in eHealth segment and offers further collaboration in eHealth segment and with caregivers, which may present a useful experience in the future product development and participating in projects related to eHealth.”

Within the frameworks of this project, an interdisciplinary research will be conducted, and presenting the results in public will support this concept, along with a rich technical, user and legal segment. The solution’s impacts on the lives of senior citizens will be measured and a social and economic studies will be conducted, which will create the basics for health sector requirement recommendations. This, in time could lead to new options in the Public Health Systems. Ramjee Prasad, the project coordinator, emphasizes the importance of this project: “The intention is that eWALL becomes a “beacon project” in the EU, showing that joint research and development can lead to visible results, which ensure the increase in quality of life and add value to society.”

Ericsson Nikola Tesla Company Communications