News
Post-COVID VR: Advanced Multimodal Tools for Assessing Fatigue-Associated and Cognitive Long-Term Effects
ABSTRACT
Fatigue-associated and cognitive deficits frequently co-occur in Post-COVID syndrome (PC), yet their interaction remains poorly understood. We developed a hybrid diagnostic toolbox that combines a mobile Immersive Virtual Memory Task (mimVMT) on the Meta Quest Pro with wearable devices (Polar H10) to collect real-time heart rate data and self-assessments of well-being in VR to address this challenge. The toolbox was designed through a cocreative, interdisciplinary approach incorporating input from patients with PC, clinical experts, and VR specialists. The mimVMT is a virtual spatial memory task in which participants memorize and restore object locations on a virtual table. The interaction is hand-based, requiring no controllers, enabling participants to perform the task either seated or standing, using midairhand interactions. Performance and movements (eye, head, hand) are multimodally logged and analyzed to quantify anddifferentiate fatigue-related and cognitive symptoms, enabling more precise diagnostics and tailored interventions for PC.
ELSI workshop on April 19, 2024
On April 19, 2024, the EPSILON consortium completed a project-related ELSI workshop. In accordance with the ELSI criteria, ethical, legal and social issues relating to the EPSILON project were explained here. For this purpose, the consortium carried out a systematic analysis using the ELSI screening and assessment tool (ELSI-SAT), which is publicly available at www.elsi- sat.de.
Using a detailed questionnaire, research projects in the area of human-technology interaction are sensitized to ELSI aspects and possible risk areas are identified. The ELSI-SAT questions cover various risk dimensions - for example regarding transparency, fairness or avoidance of harm - and in particular also address data protection aspects. With regard to the EPSILON project, concepts such as “privacy-by-design” as well as the definition and protection of personal and sensitive data were analyzed in detail and discussed in the context of project implementation.
This resulted in a consistently positive analysis for EPSILON in the comparison of possible risks and the project-specific addressing of these risks. This evaluation is summarized in the figures below and makes a lasting contribution to the implementation of ELSI aspects in the EPSILON project.
Results of the ELSI risk assessment for the EPSILON project.
The division corresponds to the individual risk dimensions.
ELSI scores for the EPSILON project along the risk dimensions.
ELSI scores correlate possible risks with planned measures to address these risks.
BMBF networking symposium "Hybrid interaction systems for maintaining health even in exceptional situations" and 10th research workshop in Düsseldorf
The BMBF networking symposium with the topic 'Hybrid interaction systems for maintaining health even in
exceptional situations' took place on 26 and 27 February in Düsseldorf. The event was organised by the
team of the CoCre-HIT (Co-Creation in the Digital Health Sector) accompanying project and provided a
platform for the exchange and presentation of research work in the field of hybrid interaction systems.
The EPSILON project for the precise recording of post-COVID symptoms was presented with a poster
contribution, among other things. The keynote speeches, including a particularly noteworthy contribution
by Dr Sebastian von Engelhardt (VDI/VDE-IT), provided valuable insights and perspectives on the
utilisation of R&D results from research projects.
Quelle: https://cocre-hit.de/vernetzungstreffen-2024-in-duesseldorf-mit-10-forschungswerkstatt/
Review of the alignment workshop on 19 October 2023 at NEEEU
On 19 October 2023, an alignment workshop was held at NEEEU's premises in Berlin to mark the start of the project and bring together representatives of all project partners. The aim of the event was to create a common direction for the start of the EPSILON project. The focus was on discussing expectations and concerns as well as creating a stakeholder map to clearly identify the user groups for which the product will be customised. In addition, various user journeys were developed for the most important user groups. These take into account the specific requirements and needs when using VR technology and smart wearables both in a clinical context and in the home environment. During the course of the workshop, a prototype dashboard was created to serve as the basis for future research activities. Finally, the derivation of research questions and hypotheses as well as the next steps in the project were discussed in order to define a clear direction for the coming phases.
EPSILON Kick-Off Meeting in Berlin
The EPSILON kick-off meeting, which took place on 4 October 2023 at the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz
Institute in Berlin, marked the official start of the EPSILON project. The agenda centred on the
presentation of the project milestones and objectives of the participating partners, a presentation of the
virtual reality diagnostics application that has already been developed, an overview of the current
post-COVID situation and a presentation of the project partners and their specific tasks within EPSILON.
In addition, relevant information was provided by the project organiser. The meeting concluded with an
open Q&A session and a discussion, which gave participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and discuss
the next steps.
Link to HHI press release
