The CONVERGENCE work plan is highly interactive and it comprises 8 work packages: 7 of which focus on scientific and/or technological activities and 1 on Coordination, Management, Dissemination and Networking activities (WP8). The project has a wearable technology platform including sensors (WP1 and WP2), energy management (WP3), energy efficient communications (WP4) and their heterogeneous integration (WP6) and its exploitation for data mining and signal processing (WP5), in relation with application validations (WP7).
WP1 and WP2 will provide a low power convergent wearable sensor platform for bio and environmental sensing, with TRL levels higher than 3, for proof-of-concepts at system level in healthcare and lifestyle. The sensing platform will provide different generations of sensors developed by the consortium partners (sweat, breath and environmental gas sensors) and will outsource and evaluate of non-invasive wearable systems in several form factors (wrist-based and patch embodiments). They will support the energy efficient data collection by providing sensors with full readouts and ADC (data in digital format) and energy efficient communications.
WP3 work is essentially dedicated to achieving energy solutions in wearables: this work is important for system autonomy and will evaluate and explore novel energy harvesting devices for wearable applications. This WP is responsible for implementations of IC designs for power conversion and energy management and will develop energy management sub-systems together with efficient energy management advanced techniques such as compressive sensing.
WP4 is dealing with the critical requirement of energy efficient wireless communications via realisation of RF front end circuits. This will include low power integrated transceivers and dedicated antennas. In the same time, interoperable protocols with existing networks and standards of mobile phone will be also studied.
WP5 will provide algorithms for efficient signal acquisition, semantic extraction, and fusion for both WP1 and WP2 systems, will develop predictive models and personalized feedback strategies for risk stratification and self-aware early risk assessment as well as providing a high efficiency data processing architecture enabling development of the unified validation platform.
WP6 will develop a heterogeneous technology platform for functional multi-parametric testing, energy efficiency optimization and, finally, for wearable flexible embodiments on-foil. The system accommodate different energy harvesting sources, will include all the power management, communication and microcontroller blocks and will be optimized to be auto-adaptive.
WP7 plans the detailed specifications and the validation framework for wearable systems. The requirements will cover functional, energy efficient design aspects at all levels with the aim of obtaining high efficiency, scalable, frictionless (weight, size, acceptability, privacy, etc.), sustainable and goal oriented solutions capable to meet the emerging demand on specific applications (in frailty, cardiovascular and active fife-style). Clinical experts will be involved via collaborations, networking but also like direct partners. This WP will also establish a quality management system throughout all stages of design, development and validation of the system and will prepare strategies for evaluation studies with the prototyped wearable systems.
WP8 is devised to ensure lean, efficient and effective management together with the global coordination of the CONVERGENCE activities and external networking. On top of the internal coordination, external activities will concern coordination with other European and national initiatives, connectivity to road-mapping initiatives and setup of dissemination activities. Our consortium is also planning to analyse and seize any collaborative opportunities with European research institutes and industries to address markets in preventive healthcare for a successful implementation and exploitation of the R&D; results. We also plan a strong collaborative effort with other initiatives of similar dimensions, as ITFoC.