If you used to measure the steps taken while walking or, through smart devices, tracked your heart rate and / or body pressure, you will soon be able to easily and simply have much more information about your own health, ie you will be able to measure your stress level. in the body, even if you are happy, sad, hungry, sleepy… all in order to improve health and lifestyle. Technology promises that, and the good news is that the first pioneering steps are emerging in our country.
With the support of the Fund for Innovation and Technological Development, two Macedonian researchers, Hristijan Gjoreski and Martin Gjoreski, have already developed the idea of upgrading smartphones, watches, glasses, etc. that will provide information about human health and their physical and physiological condition. .
Although seemingly unknown and distant, this will soon become a reality. Hristijan Gjoreski and Martin Gjoreski – conceptual and main bearers of the project through the company AIDEA Lab, which works with applied artificial intelligence and machine learning, explained to us how the whole process will take place.
The project envisages the development of an efficient and modular software platform called mAIhealth (mobile AI health and behavior monitoring) which will enable the development of new algorithms in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning that can transform sensory data from portable devices, smartphones. , smart glasses and smart watches, in order to obtain valuable information about human health and their physical and physiological condition. The platform will be modular and easy to use, so it can be adapted to different tasks.
“The inspiration for this project is based on our vast experience from international research projects in this field in the last 11 years. We have simply noticed that lately more and more devices equipped with sensors are appearing on the market, which consumers buy and carry. But very often these devices are not smart enough, ie they measure some basic parameters such as pulse and the number of steps taken. Rare are the devices that provide more advanced and “smarter” functions such as measuring stress, recognizing emotions and the like. That’s why we decided to focus on these companies and their devices with simple functions. The goal is for AIDEA to develop “smarter” functions for their devices “, explains Hristijan Gjoreski who is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies (FEIT) at UKIM in Skopje.
He is actively involved in the development of data processing algorithms for building intelligent systems that are used in healthcare, care for the elderly and the like. He is the author of over 100 scientific publications in international conferences and journals, 15 of which are papers in journals with an impact factor. He is also a co-author of 3 patent applications, 2 of which were approved in Slovenia.
The company says that according to their market analysis, such platforms do not exist, or, if they do exist, companies keep them secret because such a platform would provide an advantage over the competition.
“In fact, we will be pioneers in Macedonia and in the region for this specific area – AI and MU for analysis of health and behavior,” said Hristijan Gjoreski.
The project will start at the end of the year, and thus the results are expected to be in the middle of 2021.
“More specifically, in the first half of the project we will focus on the development of the platform, while in the second half of the project we will focus on the development of prototypes / demo applications that will present the usefulness of the mAIhealth platform. For example, an application for real-time activity recognition and stress detection on a smartphone and watch. These applications will be promoted at technology start-up events in order to win companies over. The algorithms developed with this platform will create added value for companies that produce and sell smart and wearable devices such as Samsung, Apple, Huawei, FitBit; companies that offer solutions for remote monitoring of patients and monitoring of home, office, work environment; companies that offer solutions for artificial intelligence and monitoring of drivers and passengers, affective states, attention while driving, stress, drowsiness “, says Martin Gjoreski who is a doctoral researcher at the” Jozef Stefan “Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia and is an expert in the field of applied machine learning for analysis of physiological sensory data.
Since 2019, he has also been an assistant professor at the Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Ljubljana. His research work has been presented at dozens of international conferences and published in 9 international influential journals. With his experience he was also part of the teams that won first place in five international machine learning competitions organized at renowned scientific conferences.
“Health and its continuous care and maintenance are perhaps the most important things in our lives. This is exactly what this pandemic showed us. Fortunately, new technologies and devices as well as artificial intelligence algorithms have the potential to improve users’ lifestyles, providing better health conditions. A key component of all these smart devices and applications are artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms that analyze sensory data, extract useful knowledge, and provide user feedback. The market related to this area is quite new and unsaturated, which gives us a unique opportunity to contribute to this area by developing smart algorithms and products. As an interesting example, we would like to single out the smart ring “Oura”, which is crucial for the continuation of the NBA season despite the coronavirus pandemic. The ring is used by the players in order to monitor their physiological parameters and appropriate signaling if there are major changes in them, “said Gjoreski.
They say the platform could be used to create algorithms and solutions for the domestic and international market. As they point out, given that we do not have many companies that produce smart devices, most of the customers will probably be from abroad.
“We plan to cooperate with Macedonian companies in order to show what we can, and maybe we will make our entire product – which will include hardware, sensors and software, ie a smart device made here in Macedonia, which will be used for e-mobile and mobile health “, the two innovators share optimistically.
“One of the features that makes AIDEA special is that our work is based entirely on scientific research, statistics and data. The team consists of experienced doctors, researchers and experts in the field of mobile and electronic health. This special experience gives us a great opportunity to contribute in those areas and to develop quality and useful products. In fact, developing such products requires constant monitoring of the latest research and trends, as well as collaboration with experts in various fields. “This is exactly the basis of our company, on which we will build our algorithms and products,” said Gjoreski.
FITD recognized the potential of the two researchers and their team, which is why, within the call “Startup” approved financial support in the amount of 27,900 euros.
“FITD support is crucial and of great importance to us as it confirms that the idea has potential recognized by experts in various fields including economists and IT experts. Financial support will provide us with sufficient time and resources to develop the platform, to establish a team, to develop a business model, to present our services and customer demand. Also, by receiving this project, FITD enables us to promote the Macedonian market. “We believe that the promotion will increase with the success of the project,” said the researchers.
In addition to Christian and Martin, the team includes experienced doctors of science, researchers and experts in these fields, as well as electrical and IT engineers and undergraduate and postgraduate students at FEEIT.
The company’s team consists of world-renowned experts, winners of five international competitions for the development of artificial intelligence algorithms, and their long-term goal is “AIDEA Lab” to grow into a globally recognizable, respected, Macedonian brand for artificial intelligence and machine learning. They offer different types of services in these areas, such as: consulting services and expertise, development of complete algorithmic and software solutions tailored to customers, as well as development of artificial intelligence products for sale or rent.