News

On Oct. 11, the Fit Tech Box attended the Everyone in Motion! public festival, where we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Movement Sciences at the Forum in Groningen.

Have you ever tried to get rid of a bad habit? Or have you ever struggled to stick to a health goal? What can inspire you to live a healthy life? Explore with us what you can and want to do within your life and environment to build a healthier lifestyle.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, the Healthy Living as a Service project held a symposium with interesting speakers and workshops. The symposium was open to interested parties and took place at the Health Hub in Roden.

Since February 2023, WP5 PhD student Maxwell and his team analyzed health interventions targeting BRAVO areas (exercise, smoking, drinking, nutrition, stress). Physical activity, mental health and nutrition received particular attention, while interventions for alcohol/drug use and smoking were scarcer. Future programs could use wearable sensors for personalized approaches. They discovered seven unique lifestyle interventions, ranging from lifestyle coaching to sleep pattern regulation. Stay tuned for more health updates!

At the European Night of Researchers on Sept. 29, the Healthy Living as a Service project presented innovative wearables. The Fit Tech Box allowed participants to experience the impact of unhealthy habits and showed how health watches can help change behavior. Visitors discovered wearables' insights on health and lifestyle, while conversations with experienced users provided valuable input for the project. In Agustín Martinez's Art & Technology lab, visitors creatively used wearables to manipulate sounds and visual elements. A successful experience for the project!

Jurjen de Haan's graduation project (WP3) developed Healthnote, a unique activity tracker for beginners and the curious. With a simple to-do list interface, the device provides daily tasks, steps and encourages more activity. Operated through a flexible screen and intuitive bend interactions, Healthnote allows effortless tracking of progress without advanced digital skills. This innovation promotes a healthy lifestyle and is compact and accessible. Although not yet available as a product, this vision may lead to future health designs.

Have you ever been excited to use a cool health app or own a fitness tracker, hoping it would change your lifestyle? Initially, you were motivated and used the app to track your steps, monitor your sleep and manage your calories. Over time, however, you lost interest and stopped using the technology, along with the desired behavioral changes.

Residents of Groningen County were part of a unique experience from June 2 to 4 in an Art & Technology Lab at Stichting Landgoed de Camping in 't Zand.

On Saturday, May 13, the Healthy Living as a Service project was present at the Appingedam Health Market. In addition to information about the project, visitors could participate in the discover tech spot.