Papers by Maximiliano Romero
Advances in Human Aspects of Transportation: Part III, 2022
Stroke (brain attack), is a serious global public health problem and the main cause of many forms... more Stroke (brain attack), is a serious global public health problem and the main cause of many forms of disability. The majority of stroke survivors are mostly left with motor (muscle movement or mobility) impairments. Although remarkable developments have been made in drug treatment, post-stroke care continues to rely on rehabilitation interventions mostly. On the other hand, the presence of post-stroke depression has been associated with decreases in functional recovery, social activity and cognition. Therefore, this project aims to improve the quality of people’s lives after a stroke by introducing sailing as outdoor mobility rehabilitation. It is intended to increase the patients’ motivation and engagement in the rehabilitation process by a more enjoyable and relaxing intervention than the existing ones especially for long term periods. The project, based on a haptic system installed on the deck of NYTEC 28 sailing boat, aim to monitoring rehab process development in post-stroke du...
We consider m independent random rectangular matrices whose entries are independent and identical... more We consider m independent random rectangular matrices whose entries are independent and identically distributed standard complex Gaussian random variables. Assume the product of the m rectangular matrices is an n by n square matrix. The maximum absolute values of the n eigenvalues of the product matrix is called spectral radius. In this paper, we study the limiting spectral radii of the product when m changes with n and can even diverge. We give a complete description for the limiting distribution of the spectral radius. Our results reduce to those in Jiang and Qi [26] when the rectangular matrices are square ones.
The following paper presents a research aimed at applying ethnographic observation to support co-... more The following paper presents a research aimed at applying ethnographic observation to support co-design processes and evaluating how such data collected by experts can be efficiently communicated to designers. To this purpose we have developed our own set of tools and experimented them in 4 workshops in the framework of a project called Babylandia
Edù, a Robotic Companion in Pediatric Protective Isolation Units
Education in & with Robotics to Foster 21st-Century Skills, 2021
Hospital isolation is often a traumatic and stressful experience, especially for children, since ... more Hospital isolation is often a traumatic and stressful experience, especially for children, since it implies not only the acceptance and management of the illness but also the detachment from the family environment. This paper presents a methodology to develop a social robot to accompany children in a critical period of medical care: the protective isolation units. A user-centered and multidisciplinary design approach has been adopted to include not only the technological aspects of robot development but also the psychological impact of its adoption. Desk research highlighted the technical limitations of pediatric isolation, while medical experts offered insights on the medical procedures. In addition, applied research with flexible materials was conducted during the development of the final prototype. As a result, a pediatric companion robot called Edu was developed to help hospitalized children coping with their daily routine and teach them how to behave during medical procedures and checkups.
Education in & with Robotics to Foster 21st-Century Skills, 2021
Successful detection and prevention of brain injuries relies on the quantitative identification o... more Successful detection and prevention of brain injuries relies on the quantitative identification of cellular injury thresholds associated with the underlying pathology. Here, by combining a recently developed inertial microcavitation rheology technique with a 3D in vitro neural tissue model, we quantify and resolve the structural pathology and critical injury strain thresholds of neural cells occurring at high loading rates such as encountered in blast, cavitation or directed energy exposures. We find that neuronal dendritic spines characterized by MAP2 displayed the lowest physical failure strain at 7.3%, whereas microtubules and filamentous actin were able to tolerate appreciably higher strains (14%) prior to injury. Interestingly, while these critical injury thresholds were similar to previous literature values reported for moderate and lower strain rates (< 100 1/s), the pathology of primary injury reported here was distinctly different by being purely physical in nature as compared to biochemical activation during apoptosis or necrosis. Controlled microcavitation enables quantitative identification of injury thresholds in neural cells.
Playful interaction with Teo, a Mobile Robot for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Software Development and Technologies for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion, 2016
Teo is a mobile robot designed for children with Neuro-Developmental Disorder (NDD). Teo's be... more Teo is a mobile robot designed for children with Neuro-Developmental Disorder (NDD). Teo's behavior can be remotely controlled by the caregiver or autonomously activated by effect of internal sensors or an external depth sensor. Teo has a soft body that can react to different types of touch (e.g., hugs, punches, or slaps); it can move freely on the floor and can manifest emotional reactions (through light, sound, and movement effects). Our robot can be used for therapy-driven game-based activities as well as free play. The latter involve spontaneous interaction with Teo and free exploration of its affordances, to facilitate children's familiarization with the robot and to promote socialization, positive emotions, and self-expression skills. The paper describes the design of Teo and examples of free play activities that can be performed with the robot. We also report the main results of the exploratory studies that have been performed at 2 therapeutic centers and have involved 11 children with NDD, highlighting the benefits of free play with Teo.
Computational Morphologies, 2017
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The Art(Ifacts) Experience at Polimi. Teaching Wearable Computing in Design Schools
ICERI2016 Proceedings, 2016
2016 25th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), 2016
We propose a new emotional, huggable, mobile, and configurable robot (Teo), which can address som... more We propose a new emotional, huggable, mobile, and configurable robot (Teo), which can address some of the still open therapeutic needs in the treatment of Developmental Disability (DD). Teo has been designed in partnership with a team of DD specialists, and it is meant to be used as an efficient and easy-to-use tool for caregivers. Teo is integrated with virtual worlds shown on large displays or projections and with external motion sensing devices to support various forms of full-body interaction and to engage DD persons in a variety of play activities that blend the digital and physical world and can be fully customized by therapists to meet the requirements of each single subject. Exploratory studies have been performed at two rehabilitation centres to investigate the potential of our approach. The positive results of these studies pinpoint that our system endeavors promising opportunities to offer new forms of interventions for DD people.
Human Behaviour Analysis and Modelling: A Mixed Method Approach
Advances in Human Factors and Ergonomics Series, 2010
Advances in Human Factors and Ergonomics Series, 2010
todo o apoio prestado enquanto me direcionava no caminho correto e pela sua disponibilidade para ... more todo o apoio prestado enquanto me direcionava no caminho correto e pela sua disponibilidade para esclarecer as minhas dúvidas. Outra pessoa a quem devo os meus sinceros agradecimentos é ao engenheiro Samuel Gomes, da VLX Oriente, por todo o tempo disponibilizado comigo, a mostrar-me os processos envolvidos num serviço pós-venda e a explicar-me melhor como este funciona. Agradeço também aos meus pais, pelo esforço, dedicação e principalmente suporte, que sempre empenharam nos meus estudos, nunca deixando que eu desistisse, mesmo nos momentos mais complicados e que sempre lá estiveram em todas as alturas da minha vida. Aos meus avós que, durante muitos anos, em conjunto com os meus pais, foram "a equipa" de suporte ao meu percurso académico e uma das grandes razões para o meu sucesso nessa vertente. Aos meus amigos, pois se há momentos para trabalhar, também deve haver momentos de diversão e de recarregar baterias para enfrentar novos desafios e estas pessoas proporcionaram-me muitos momentos desses ao longo dos anos. E por último, mas não menos importantes, aos meus colegas de curso, David Barros,
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2014
This paper presents the study and the development of a telemonitoring system with the aim to supp... more This paper presents the study and the development of a telemonitoring system with the aim to support elderly people living alone. The intent of our new system is to permanently connect the elderly with their relative and caregivers. The tele-monitoring system allows to continuously monitoring the subjects as they were in a hospital and, in case of anomalies in the health state, automatically share and alarm to caregivers and relatives. The continuous monitoring is done using two different subsystems: wearable sensors for biomedical data collection and infrared video cameras for fall detection. The main goal of this study is to develop and test the system prototype not only from a functional point of view, but also from the user acceptability and usability point of view. For this reason this studies was based on a parallel development of acceptability and technical issues; this allows to create an ad-hoc tele-monitoring system for elderly,
Human Behaviour Analysis and Modelling
Advances in Human Factors and Ergonomics Series, 2010
New Trends in Technologies: Control, Management, Computational Intelligence and Network Systems, 2010
Quantitative body movement and gesture assessment in ergonomics
International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation, 2010
PenTAG, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, Veysey Building, Salmon Pool Lane, Exeter, E... more PenTAG, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, Veysey Building, Salmon Pool Lane, Exeter, EX2 4SG, UK E-mail: [email protected] and Centre for Research in Healthcare Management (CERGAS), Universita' Bocconi, Via Roentgen 1, 20136, Milan, Italy E-mail: ...
The Design Journal, 2017
Present paper analyzes and compares two innovation models in robot design. The first part describ... more Present paper analyzes and compares two innovation models in robot design. The first part describes the incremental development process of Teo: a robotic tool for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) treatment for children. The second part describes the radical innovation model used for Riby: a robotic tool for ASD treatment for adults. At the end of this paper, authors discuss the results of each case and expose the conclusions as a possible new method of product development in social robotics.
Smartphones as User Interfaces in Public Events
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2015
Ds 66 2 Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Design Creativity, 2010
This paper presents a creative process aimed at developing innovative scenarios for mobile health... more This paper presents a creative process aimed at developing innovative scenarios for mobile health. In detail, whitin the entire "MOHE" research framework, the paper is focused on a creative workshop performed in order to realize four movies of 2 minutes each describing next future scenarios. 20 participants, divided in 4 groups, where involved in 2 days intensive-work that has produced 4 storyboards of scenarios. The four groups were composed by designers and bioengineers with collaboration of medical specialists. Each group has focused their attention on a target-user(mothers, kids, adults and elderly people) in order to create new concepts for everyday healthcare services through mobile technology.
A Collaborative Process to Maximize Design Creativity for Pediatric Care
Ds 66 2 Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Design Creativity, 2010
Children have different preferences in health care. The family and caregivers also have specializ... more Children have different preferences in health care. The family and caregivers also have specialized needs for the children-patients. How to figure out their needs and how to solve the complexity of h...
Ergonomics and design for sustainability in healthcare: ambient assisted living and the social-environmental impact of patients lifestyle
Work (Reading, Mass.), 2012
This work presents considerations on Ergonomics and Design for Sustainability in the healthcare f... more This work presents considerations on Ergonomics and Design for Sustainability in the healthcare field based on research experiences of the Technology and Design for Healthcare (TeDH) research group of INDACO (Industrial design, communication, arts and fashion) department of Politecnico di Milano. In order to develop a multidisciplinary approach to design able to answer to specific user needs such as elderly in an environmental sustainable way (1) this paper shows the results we achieved concerning ergonomics and environmental impact in product development (2), the extension of this approach to interior and home design and the advantage of the application of Information Communication Technologies (ICT). ICT can help people with special needs to make their everyday life easier and more safe, at the same time, ICT can make social-environmental impact of everyday behavior evident and can be applied to manage sustainability. The specific theme is thus to integrate ergonomics and sustaina...
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Papers by Maximiliano Romero