origin of cognitive prosthetics and evolution as a concept for dementia

A cognitive prosthetic is assistive technology that helps a person with cognitive deficits function more independently in certain tasks. It is an entire system that helps the individual in ways that are specific to that person’s needs. Below are features that define a cognitive prosthetic:

• A cognitive prosthetic is a compensatory strategy that directly assists the individual in performing daily activities. It helps a person to maximize their strengths and abilities to compensate for their deficits.
• A cognitive prosthetic is computer-based, meaning the system uses a desktop or laptop computer.
• The cognitive prosthetic is set up in the home or office
• A cognitive prosthetic is always developed and implemented through a therapeutic process that includes the therapist, the client, and computer programmers.
• A cognitive prosthetic is custom-designed for each individual client. This enables:
  • Specific adaptation to the individual, the activities and the environment
  • Faster acquisition of skills. Client’s are always able to start using the system from the first day of therapy.
• While it is being used by the client, a cognitive prosthetic captures data about how and when it is being used. This data is very helpful to the therapist to further customize the system to meet the client’s needs

Cognitive Prosthetics aim to aid both the carer and the client, providing both with the tools to aid the client’s memory, perform day to day tasks and enforce the aspect of dignity and security during the early stages of diagnosed dementia. ICP (Institute for Cognitive Prosthetics), founded and pioneered by Dr Elliot Cole based in Pennsylvania, have been using IT systems, in conjunction with social services to help neural rehabilitation.

Early micro-systems provided insight to whether brain-damaged clients could form sentences by interacting with a series of icons on computers. They also have been providing telerahabilition services since 1991, in conjunction with out-patient services. Furthermore early cognitive prosthetics have allowed the carer to connect to the client’s computer, providing the carer with a detailed knowledge of the client’s use of technology.

The key issues addressed with early cognitive prosthetics was utilising technology to enable the client to communicate with care professionals. It was recognised that top of the range healthcare was simply unavailable for much of the population who needed access to brain-trauma services. Cognitive Prosthetics aimed to provide in-home support for those individuals who could not travel to receive care, whilst also seeing a regular carer to aid their development at home.

Research has shown that memory-loss, security and dignity are serious issues for patients. Previous providers of care for dementia patient include Fold Telecare who provided users with warning systems, alarms and telephone support and are the main providers of in-home care products for sufferers of dementia in Northern Ireland today. Other cognitive prosthetics research such as those in Sweden (development of an easyADL prosthesis) have involved the use of VR to encourage clients to learn everyday tasks in order to be able to repeat them:
Video clip of the the easyADL cognitive prosthesis in action

COGKNOW specialise in researching and delivering solutions for carers and sufferers of dementia specifically. Previous cognitive prostheitcs have focussed on providing cognitive resotration functionality for those with severe head injuries and brain trauma. The COGKNOW system goes beyond video-conferencing providing in-home support with interactive features and is available 24/7, something which telerehabilitation cannot provide.

The COGKNOW software system in development at the moment is easily manipulated and will be easy to install in the home. The technology is easily set-up in the home and provides useful reminders and easy to use telecommunication as well as providing enjoyable daily activities such as listening to the radio or phoning relatives or carers. COGKNOW and other cognitive prosthetic Research and Development are geared towards affording dementia sufferers a sense of security and re-assurance, whilst emphasising the need for those suffering from dementia to have a sense of self-reliance and confidence in the home.

Whereas competitors such as Fold Telecare have many instruments within the home to assist dementia; COGKNOW’s simple PDA and monitor with broadband access can provide these services, and is comparatively better value.

http://www.brain-rehab.com/pdf/Cole_Cog_Pros_First_Reveiw_of_the_Field.pdf - early evaluation of cognitive prosthetics

http://www.brain-rehab.com/pdf/Tele_Rehab_Therapist_Friendly_Tools_RESNA_2000.pdf- use of telerahibilitation eg video conferencing for therapist/client yr2000

http://www.brain-rehab.com/pdf/cpt1999.pdf - an introduction to the benefits of cognitive prosthetics by DR Elliott Cole, published 1998

nov2001- http://www.brain-rehab.com/pdf/Tele_Rehab_OT_Practice_Nov_2001.pdf

http://www.cs.umu.se/research/easyadl/- development of a VR system May 2007 by Swedish university.

http://cogknow.eu/- COGKNOW’s official website.

Origins of ‘Open Innovation’

Henry Chesbrough

“Open innovation is the use of purposive inflows and outflows of knowledge to accelerate internal innovation, and expand the markets for external use of innovation, respectively. [This paradigm] assumes that firms can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to market, as they look to advance their technology.” Dr. Henry Chesbrough

The concept of open innovation was popularised by Dr. Henry Chesbrough in 2003. In his book “The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology” he describes how in the past companies such as IBM had large research laboratories developing and driving the innovation in industry. He argues that “closed innovation” models where large development departments develop technology for their own company is dying out and is being replaced with the new model of open innovation. Companies such as Microsoft now carry out little if any of their own research and instead take ideas from out with the company and allow any innovations enter the wider marketplace. The concept he suggests allows companies to increase their flow of knowledge and to aid this flow with input from academia.

However the true origins of all innovation stem from around 500,000 BC when Homo Erectus managed to use fire to his advantage!

A Quick Video

TimeLine of Innovation

The Origins of Social Networking

The first social network to be launched was SixDegrees.com in 1997. SixDegrees was the first site to allow users to list friends they may have in their own network. Although SixDegrees had millions of users, it ended up closing in 2000. It was unable to transform itself into a viable business. Between 1997 and 2001 there were many other systems that supported public profiles, and allowed people to show their list of friends. These included BlackPlanet, and MiGente however many of these were used as dating profiles.

It was not until the introduction of Ryze.com in 2001 that Social Networking Sites began to take off. Ryze was introduced by its founder to the San Francisco business community to people who then went on to invest in further Social Networking sites. According to Boyd and Ellison in their article entitled Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship the people involved in Ryze, Tribe.net, LinkedIn and Friendster were interlinked personally and professionally. However in the end they all went their separate ways.

Friendster which was introduced in 2002 has been dubbed “one of the biggest disappointments in Internet history” Max Chafkin

Friendster was a social network that was designed to compete with dating sites like Match.com. Instead of the user finding romance with a complete stranger on the internet with similar interests, Friendster approached the idea that friends of friends would make better dating partners than strangers. However Friendsters demise was its popularity. When the popularity increased the web site began to encounter technical and social problems. The server and database that Friendster worked from were unable to cope with the increase in traffic. Also many new users who had heard about Friendster from the media exposed problems with the social contexts. Users ended up having their bosses and classmates along with close friends. The exponential growth of profiles which had a false image or profile coined the term “Fakester”. A combination of lack of trust for the site, technical problems and fakesters, led to Friendsters rapid decline. However as it lost people in the West, it became more popular in places like Asia.

Myspace was introduced in 2003 to compete with the ailing Friendster. Its founders wanted to attract ex-Friendster users. After a rumour emerged that Friendster would start charging a fee for the service, Myspace was able to capitalize. Many rock bands who had been taken off Friendster for not complying with regulations now found a home in Myspace.com. Rock bands wanted to be able to socially network with their fans, and their fans wanted to be able to socially network with their favourite bands. MySpace was not initially set up to be used for music, but when it realised this link, the founders asked some bands what MySpace could do for them. This flexibility allowed fans to get in touch with their favourite bands, and an increase of teenage traffic saw user numbers soaring.

 

Timeline of Social Networks

Timeline of blogs - Where did it all begin…some 20+ years ago

Click on the image for a large view

The most noticeable events of blogging can be summarised below;

• 1983 - 2001 (Before HTTP appears) - Blogging evolves out of online diaries, esentially online forums and messageboards. Click HERE to see how wikipedia defines an online diary.
• 1997 The term “weblog” was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The short form, “blog,” was coined by Peter Merholz.
• 1999 - Blogger.com is launched by Evan Williams and Meg Hourihan
• 2002 - Blogs gain extensive converage on how they transmit, communicate and shape news stories.
• 2003- Blogger.com bought by google for an undisclosed amount of money.
• January 2005 - Bebo is born, ‘Blog early Blog often’ Click HERE
• 2005- Blog death threat sparks a debate
• July 2005 - Bebo is relaunched
• 2007- Tim O’Reilly proposes a bloggers code of conduct Click HERE

Learn how to blog…read on

Everyone can blog or can they? Many people are turning to self help guides in order to become more inspirational bloggers.

Poor blogging could be caused by a lack of;

• Inspriation
• Motivation
• Confidence

If you find you may need some some help with your blogging skills click here for the full article from lifehack.org

The origins of blogs, how did it all start?

Blogs we have all heard of them and I am sure have all used them at some point but Many people take for granted where blogs originated from. Blogs actually grew out of ‘online diaries’. These online diaries were simply text that people had posted on the world wide web describing themselves, hobbies and anything else that may have been of interest.

Online forum’s and message-boards have had a big role to play in the origins of blogs. The roots of blogging can essentially be traced back to between 1983 and 1990 (pre http) time. At this stage, technology was limited, the world wide web was essentially unheard of in the public eyes. Moderated newsgroups allowed controlled people and groups to post information that others could share across computer networks. This is really the basics of todays blogs.

As the internet revolution took off around 1997 with the ever growing introduction of personal computers into the home and dial up networking, however in 1999 when broadband networking started to become more affordable and with a fall in computer hardware costs this made it more affordable for consumers to purchase pc’s and access the Internet, as more people had access to the Internet this changed the way in which the internet was perceived by people. As more and more people became connected to the world wide web the explosion in the usage of internet forums became apparent. Blogging software became available online to users such as blogger, wordpress and typepad.

A blog can simply be described as way of people expressing their opinions and revelations by the means of using the Internet.

There are many definitions of what a blog or weblog too many to list in fact. One good example is from whatis.com “A weblog, sometimes written as web log or weblog, is a website that consists of a series of entries arranged in reverse chronological order, often updated on a frequently with new information about particular topics. The information can be written by the site owner , gleaned from other web sites or other sources, or contributed by users”. See what BBC say.

For further information click HERE