A virtual assistant for promoting independent recovery and wellness

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Ageing is often associate with loss of muscle mass and function, leading to decreased independence and increased risk of injury (e.g. falls). Neurological conditions and physical injuries make this problem even worse. Very often rehabilitation of older people requires direct contact with a physiotherapist, but NHS budget constraints limit such sessions to at most 45minutes/day. Moreover, such rehabilitation physical activity is performed in a setting (gym or hospital room) that does not represent the environment the patient will operate in when discharged.In this project the student will create a platform to allow (semi-)independent rehabilitation and promote active lifestyles in older people. Such a platform will consist of low-cost hardware (RGB and potentially depth cameras) and software that can track the movement of the subject in the camera field of view, check that the activity is done following clinical guidelines and assess the quality of movement. The technology will be designed so that it can easily be installed and used in hospital rooms, personal homes and care homes. In this way, the same system will follow the patient for all his/her rehabilitation journey and even be used once recovered to maintain an active lifestyle. Gamification approaches will also be explored toward the end of the project to stimulate motivation.Clinical input provided by clinicians and therapists involved in the Doctoral Training Network, and NHS guidelines will be explicitly embedded in the platform to ensure that the exercises are appropriate for a given subject (or population of subjects) and minimise risks.