Veritas D4.3.4

Accessible and Assistive ICT
VERITAS
Virtual and Augmented Environments and Realistic User Interactions To
achieve Embedded Accessibility DesignS
247765
Minutes of VERITAS Dissemination Workshops

Deliverable No. D4.3.4
SubProject No. SP4 SubProject Horizontal Activities

Title
Workpackage WP4.3.2 Workpackag Dissemination

No. e Title
Activity No. A4.3.2 Activity Title Workshops, Events and demos

organisation
Authors Kalliopi Vitzilaiou (CERTH/HIT), Viveca

Jimnez Mixco (UPM), Stefano Bernard (CRF),
Manfred Dangelmaier (FhG/IAO)
Status (F: final; D: draft; RD: revised F

draft):
File Name: VERITAS_D4.3.4.doc
Project start date and duration 01 January 2010, 48 Months

VERITAS D4.3.4 PU Grant Agreement # 247765
Version History table

Version Dates and comments
no.
1 Draft sent by CERTH/HIT to CRF, UPM and FhG for input (December 2013)
2 2nd Draft prepared by CERTH/HIT and sent to partners for

additions/improvements (January 2014)
3 Final draft for peer review (February 2014)
4 Final Deliverable (February 2014)
February 2014 2 CERTH/HIT

Table of Contents
Version History table ..................................................................................... 2
Table of Contents........................................................................................... 3
List of Figures ................................................................................................ 5
Abbreviations list ........................................................................................... 6
Executive Summary ....................................................................................... 7
1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 8
2 INTERSTRESS-VERITAS Workshop ..................................................... 9
2.1 Agenda ......................................................................................... 9
2.2 Presentations.............................................................................. 10
2.2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 10
2.2.2 Stress in everyday life ...................................................................................... 10
2.2.3 Stress in transportation .................................................................................... 10
2.2.4 The Interstress project ..................................................................................... 12
2.2.5 Affective State Aware Biometric Recognition .................................................. 13
2.2.6 Using Activity related behavioural features towards more effective automatic
stress detection ............................................................................................................... 13
2.2.7 VERITAS simulation of users........................................................................... 14
2.2.8 INTERSTRESS & VERITAS demonstration .................................................... 17
2.3 Outcomes ................................................................................... 17
3 VERITAS Dissemination Workshop with students ............................ 18
3.1 Agenda and description of the event .......................................... 18
3.2 Presentations.............................................................................. 19
3.2.1 VERITAS concepts and tools........................................................................... 19
3.2.2 Demonstrations ................................................................................................ 21
3.3 Outcomes ................................................................................... 23
4 High comfort and usability in automotive .......................................... 24
4.1 Agenda and description of the event .......................................... 24
4.2 Presentations.............................................................................. 25
4.2.1 Welcome and introduction (CRF)..................................................................... 25
4.2.2 Fiat AUTONOMY program: FGA solutions for impaired people ...................... 25
4.2.3 High accessibility: an ergonomic point-of-view ................................................ 26
4.2.4 Virtual approach on comfort assessment in Siemens...................................... 26
4.2.5 Interiors: an innovative approach to design (Design&Innovation) ................... 27
4.2.6 EU project VERITAS: a methodology for virtual assessment of interiors comfort
for elderly users .............................................................................................................. 27
4.2.7 EU project VERITAS: a methodology for virtual assessment of motorcycles
comfort for elderly users ................................................................................................. 28
4.2.8 EU project ICityForAll : contents and first results ............................................ 29
4.3 Outcomes ................................................................................... 29
5 VERITAS presence in major events .................................................... 31
5.1 Stuttgart Symposium for Product Development SSP 2013 ...... 31
5.1.1 Description of the event ................................................................................... 31
5.1.2 VERITAS representation .................................................................................. 32
5.1.3 Outcomes ......................................................................................................... 33
5.2 Virtual Efficiency Congress ......................................................... 33
5.2.1 Description of the event ................................................................................... 33
5.2.2 VERITAS representation .................................................................................. 33

5.2.3 Outcomes ......................................................................................................... 34

6 Conclusions .......................................................................................... 35

List of Figures
Figure 1: The Agenda of the Workshop ........................................................... 9
Figure 2: Dr. Bekiaris presenting the effects of stress in transportation ......... 11
Figure 3: Mr Tsakiris presenting the VERITAS approach .............................. 14
Figure 4: Illustration of the methodology steps .............................................. 15
Figure 5: Sample GUI used in the Use Case for a Healthcare Application (4
GUI screens corresponding to 4 tasks Interaction area for each task
marked with red)...................................................................................... 16
Figure 6: The agenda of the Workshop.......................................................... 19
Figure 7: Explanation of VERITAS concepts and tools, and the need of
VERITAS in the healthcare domain: ........................................................ 20
Figure 8: Participants at the Smart House Virtual Reality infrastructure: ....... 22
Figure 9: Participants in the Smart House infrastructure, listening to the
explanation about AAL concept: .............................................................. 22
Figure 10: Demonstration of the prototypes of the Remote Monitoring
application: .............................................................................................. 23
Figure 11: The agenda of the Workshop........................................................ 24
Figure 12 Fiat Dobl adapted to transport passengers on wheelchair ........... 25
Figure 13: Virtual evaluation of the actions needed by a user to move from a
whhelchair to the drivers seat ................................................................. 26
Figure 14: Mr. Properzi is showing the potential of Jack virtual environment. 27
Figure 15: Mr. Mauri is showing how natural elements can be inspiring for
designing automotive components .......................................................... 27
Figure 16: Explanation of the role of elderly people as automotive users and
costumers ................................................................................................ 28
Figure 17: Explanation of the main goals of VERITAS project ....................... 29
Figure 18 Presentation of the main goal and objectives of ICityforAll project 29
Figure 19: The program of the SSP 2013 ...................................................... 31
Figure 20: The VERITAS poster .................................................................... 32
Figure 21: Frontpage of the VEC 2013 program ............................................ 34

Abbreviations list
Abbreviation Explanation
AAL Ambient Assistive Living

ACT-R Adaptive Control of ThoughtRational
AI Ambient Intelligence
AUTh Aristotles University of Thessaloniki
CBAR Camera and Accelerometer-based Activity Recognition
ECG Electro-Cardiogram
EMG Electro-Myogram
GUI Graphical User Interface
HPA Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal
HR Heart Rate
HRV Heart Rate Variation
HTML HyperText Markup Language
ICT Information Communication Technologies
OBIS On-Bike Information Systems
PTW Power-Two Wheelers
SNS Sympathetic Nervous System
UI User Interface
UsiXML USer Interface eXtensible Markup Language
VUM Virtual User Model

Executive Summary
This Deliverable aims to present the minutes of the workshops that were organised
by VERITAS or in which VERITAS partners participated, aiming to extend and foster
the dissemination and business exploitation of the VERITAS concept and results.
Originally, this Deliverable was planned to present the outcomes of the Final
Conference of the project. However, after discussion among the Consortium
partners, it was decided that it would be more beneficial to organise separate events,
having different targets to what concerns the audience and the contents, as thus it
would be easier and more effective to address different target groups and present the
scope and outcomes of VERITAS on a targeted and in some cases- local level.
Moreover, creating synergies with other projects and organisations was also among
the scopes of the targeted workshops.
Following this concept, three workshops were organised in Greece, Spain and Italy.
Moreover, other major events were attended with the aim to present and highlight the
VERITAS work.
The first workshop (Chapter 2) was organised by CERTH, in cooperation with the
Interstress project, which deals with stress detection and warning systems,
addressing an audience of mainly doctors and engineers. The synergies of the two
projects were explored in the basis of using cognitive impairment simulation through
Virtual User Models, as developed within VERITAS, as a tool to improve and
personalise stress detection and warnings.
The second workshop (Chapter 3) was organised by UPM and addressed to

telecommunications students, aiming to give them an overview of the main concepts
and potential of Ambient Assisted Living and Accessibility, how VERITAS tools can
help to improve the process of design and assessment of accessibility in a range of
fields where AAL is applied, and, in particular, how VERITAS can and should be
used in the healthcare domain.
The third workshop (Chapter 4) was organized by FIAT focussing on comfort and
usability in automotive scenarios, with the aim to improve the sensitivity to the
problems of impaired automotive users. The audience in this workshop was mainly
coming from the automotive industry.
Apart from these three workshops, two other major events took place, in which
VERITAS had a significant presence. These were the Stuttgart Symposium for
Product Development and the Virtual Efficiency Congress, both organized by
FhG/IAO in Stuttgart, Germany. An outline of these events and the VERITAS
presence is included in Chapter 5.

1 Introduction
This Deliverable aims to present the minutes of the three dissemination workshops of
VERITAS that took place during the last semester of the project, along with the
presence of VERITAS in two more major events. The overall aim of these workshops
was to present the project findings to a wider public and strengthen the links to the
community and associated stakeholders.
More specifically the workshops that are presented here were the following (in
chronological order):
1. INTERSTRESS-VERITAS Workshop, which took place in the CERTH/HIT

premises in Thessaloniki, Greece, on the 3rd October 2013
2. VERITAS Dissemination Workshop with students, which took place in the

premises of UPM in Madrid, Spain, on the 28th November 2013
3. High comfort and usability in automotive Workshop, which took place in the
CRF premises in Orbassano, Italy on the 13th December 2013.
The three workshops were independent from each other and tackled different issues
related to the work performed and produced within VERITAS.
The additional two events, in which VERITAS was demonstrated, were the following:
1. Symposium for Product Development, which took place in Stuttgart, Germany

in the premises of FhG/IAO, on the 19th 20th June 2013.
2. Virtual Efficiency Congress which took place in Stuttgart, Germany in the
premises of FhG/IAO, on the 7th 8th November 2013.

2 INTERSTRESS-VERITAS Workshop
2.1 Agenda
The workshop was organized by CERTH/HIT and CERTH/ITI in cooperation with the
project INTERSTRESS. The main topic was the influence of stress in driving and
ways and techniques to overcome it or mitigate its consequences, also with the help
of ICT. The workshop was performed in Greek as it addressed an exclusively Greek
audience (about 20 participants, mainly doctors and engineers). Below you may see
the agenda of the workshop.
INTERSTRESS VERITAS WORKSHOP
Thursday, 3 October 2013

CERTH/HIT Meeting room,1st Floor,
6th Km Charilaou- Thermi Rd.
09:30 10:00 Registration
10:00 - 10:15 Welcome
Stress in everyday life

10:15 - 10:45
Dr. Ioanna Chouvarda, A.U.Th
Stress in transportation
10:45 - 11:15
Dr. Evangelos Bekiaris, CERTH/HIT
11:15 11:30 Questions Discussion
11:30 - 12:00 Break
The Interstress approach

12:00 -12:30
Mr. Pavlos Spanidis, CERTH/HIT
12:30 13:15 The Interstress approach

Dr. Dimitrios Giakoumis, CERTH/ITI
Mr Anastasis Drosou, CERTH/ITI
Mr. Athanasios Tsakiris, CERTH/ITI
13:15 13:30 Interstress &VERITAS Demonstration
13:30 Light Lunch

Figure 1: The Agenda of the Workshop

2.2 Presentations
2.2.1 Introduction
After welcoming the participants, the Workshop started with an introduction from Mr.
P. Spanidis of CERTH/HIT, involved in both projects, who underlined the main aim of
the Workshop being the presentation of the correlation of stress with transport, as
well as ways to identify and prevent it, as derive from the results of the projects and
the future prospects on this topic.
2.2.2 Stress in everyday life

Dr. Ioanna Chouvarda, from Aristotles University of Thessaloniki, made a thorough
presentation on the forms, the anticipation, the consequences and measurement of
stress in everyday life.
It was pointed out that the original definition of what is stress? is not necessarily
bad: it is the physiological reaction to a threat, which may come in different ways:
Intellectual, emotional, mental threats; Hormonal reaction; Physiological response
(heart rate, respiratory rate, blood circulation and pressure, emotional hormones,
memory affected, pain is decrease, glucose production raises, immune system
suppressed, etc).
The dimension of chronic stress was pointed out. For example stress during
pregnancy could cause problems of chronic stress to the baby (epigenetic factors).
However, it was clarified (upon question from the audience) that the hormones during
pregnancy are such that prevent the mother from getting stressed, thus protecting
the baby of such effects.
Two stress systems exist (sympathetic nervous system - SNS and hypothalamic
pituitary adrenal axis-HPA). The main measurable parameter is the heart rate
variability (HRV). The ways to quantify this parameter were presented as well as the
ways to assess subjective symptoms and objective data through wearable devices.
The optimal approach should be a multiparametric one taking different
measurements into account and in several intervals.
Finally, Dr Chouvarda concluded that there are physiological markers of stress, for
the measurement of which, a multiparametric approach may be needed. There are
not any overall thresholds; there are rather personal changes (a grey zone as
regards quantification of stress disorders). It has been found that non-
pharmacological treatment is possible, along with new opportunities for the
personalization of treatment and e-Health solutions that are under research.
2.2.3 Stress in transportation

Dr. Evangelos Bekiaris of CERTH/HIT, presented the effects of stress in
transportation.

Figure 2: Dr. Bekiaris presenting the effects of stress in transportation
Stress during driving may be a positive factor to the point that keeps the driver alert;
after that it may cause other unwanted symptoms. Chronic stress is the worst in this
case. Stress has also been found to be related to fatigue and sleepiness. Stress
affects sleep, so accidents caused by sleepiness cannot be assessed if they are due
to stress or sleepiness itself. Thus stress, in combination with or resulting in
sleepiness, form a vicious circle. Memory is also affected by stress.
It can be distinguished into State stress, which focuses on drivers response in a
particular situation (i.e. reaction to traffic congestion) and Trait stress which focuses
on stable behavioural tendencies that are assumed to exist across a variety of
situations and is a measure of personality.
Accident risk is increased due to stress and this is the case not only for drivers but for
pedestrians as well. The stress effects have been mostly researched regarding
professional drivers and air transport. It has been reported that workers in the
transport sector have more stress than the average working population. The reasons
for increased stress of professional drivers are mainly long working hours, irregular
shifts, driving to new places, etc. It is however difficult to find statistics on the
accidents caused by stress as it is difficult to assess if it has been the primary factor
leading to the accident. Thus related research is only performed through
questionnaire surveys and epidemiological studies.
In order to prevent stress, a series of ergonomic recommendations for professional

drivers have been suggested, related to the drivers seat, the steering wheel, pedals,
etc. Design of the cabin as well as work and recovery recommendations for bus
drivers may effectively prevent stressful driving. Moreover, a set of traffic induced
stress facts as well as drivers coping strategies have been suggested.
Regarding stress in aviation, this relates both with pilots and cabin crew, deriving
mainly from high work demands and low work control. Related training programs

have identified several dangers that may be the result of high stress. Stress has been
listed as one of the 12 critical safety areas addressed by the Dirty Dozen camping
of the Maintenance and Ramp Safety Society
Then Dr Bekiaris stressed out the need for stress detection and relevant criteria,
such as heart rate (HRV), blood pressure, activity, etc. The next step would be to
develop appropriate warning systems. Such a system should warn against too
frequent stress activation, lack of adaptation to frequently occurring stressors,
moderate high stress levels over longer time periods, as well as inadequate
response.
In order to create such a warning system, the first step is to select the adequate
indicator(s) to be measured and then create the relevant algorithm, taking into
account the probability of occurrence as well as the correlated physiological
parameters. These systems can be mainly distinguished into two types: simple
systems that measure HR, activity, position, etc) and are more useful for long term
detection and elaborate systems, measuring HR/ECG, EMG, respiration, blood
pressure, etc., which provide more detailed data. What is of utmost importance is that
the system would be as unobtrusive as possible.
Some examples of relevant prototypes were also presented by Dr. Bekiaris. The
Road Frustration Index by Audi and MIT Senseable City Lab, using skin conductance
sensors, facial/body tracking and environmental recordings, has shown that urban
driving can be as stressful as skydiving. Also within the context of the OASIS project
an elderly driver stress detection system has been proposed, using eye lid sensors,
steering wheel pressure sensors, as well as a special driver seat cover the sensing
seat - and measures provides warnings to the driver. Additionally, it triggers eCall
activation if needed.
Dr Bekiaris concluded his presentation by highlighting the current gaps for stress
detection. These are mainly the lack of practical knowledge, the unrelated and
irrelevant factors influencing most stress markers, as well as the large individual
differences in baseline levels and stress responses.
2.2.4 The Interstress project
Mr Pavlos Spanidis of CERTH/HIT made an overall presentation of the Interstress

project. It is a European project encompassing 10 partners from 6 EU countries,
representing psychologists and computer engineers. The project aims to design,
develop, and test an advanced ICT-based solution for the assessment and treatment
of psychological stress
A definition of psychological stress is that it occurs when a person realizes that the
influence of the external factors is surpasses his/her ability of adaptation. There are
three main approaches based on this definition: the response-based model, the
stimulus-based model and the transactional model. The biological reaction to stress
is mainly linked to a reaction of the sympathetic. There have been 3 main goals that
have been set towards stress management: the detection, the personal experience
and the real time support.

Regarding stress detection, this can be achieved through different means: biometric
monitoring - measuring specific physiological characteristics, kinesiological
parameters monitoring, brain activity monitoring, etc. All these involve real time and
conditions stress detection. Regarding the importance of personal experience, the
use of 3D environments, such as Virtual Reality systems, gives a lot of benefits.
Within the project, different scenarios of stressful situations are tested. Relevant
short videos were presented.
Finally, to what concerns provision of support to the user in real time, a mobile phone
application has been developed, providing relaxation instructions, biometric
monitoring results, a stress tracker as well as some exercises for the user. Relevant
tests are being performed, using a platform for exercise through questionnaires and
relevant feedback. Upon question from the audience, it was clarified that the
participants in the tests were teachers and nurses. It was also stated that the clinical
trials were also approved by the US National Institute of health.
2.2.5 Affective State Aware Biometric Recognition

Mr Anastasis Drosou, of CERTH/ITI, presented the affective state aware biometric
recognition developed in INTERSTRESS.
The aim has been to achieve biometric identification that is linked to stress. The
types of biometrics that are measured are: physiological, 2nd generation biometrics
and modeling of the trajectory of peoples moves.
The experiment was based on a stroop color word test, in which the movements of
the head and upper limps as well as the upper body were recorded. At the same
time, also physiological parameters were recorded through relevant sensors.
The experimental results showed that there is a correlation between stress and
behavioural movements. The state of normal stress and fatigue is appropriate for
the authentication of the user and any deviations lead to non-predictable
kinesiological behavior. Finally, a generic probabilistic framework has been
established, allowing the incorporation of more parameters, apart from stress and
fatigue
2.2.6 Using Activity related behavioural features towards more effective

automatic stress detection
Dr. Dimitrios Giakoumis of CERTH/ITI presented an innovative stress detection
method, involving stress triggering and recording of reactions. The aim is to improve
stress detection through registering behavioural and biosignal characteristics.
The registration included video, accelerometer and biosignal measurements. The

participants were 17 men and 4 women of an average age of 30.4 years.
Stress triggering was performed with the use of a stroop color-word test. During the
test, biosignals were registered at different test difficulty levels. At the end, the
participants were asked to fill in also a questionnaire, self-assessing their stress
level. Moreover, kinesiological behavior characteristics were extracted through video
analysis, aiming to detect behaviours like, e.g. foot trembling.

The results were extracted by correlating stress levels as derived from the automatic
stress recognition system and self reporting by the participants. The main outcomes
showed that there is a statistically significant correlation between the self-reported
stress and the behavioural characteristics. Also, the combination of behavioural
characteristics with conventional biosignal characteristics improved the effectiveness
of the latter. Finally, stress recognition for unknown people was also improved.
The results were applied in the INTERSTRESS platform. A CBAR (Camera and
Accelerometer-based Activity Recognition module) system was used, registering
video and accelerometer data and extracting behavioural characteristics in real time.
By inserting the experimental data to the system the automatic stress detection was
improved via re-feeding the VR system with stress rate estimation in real time and
values registration in the central INTERSTRESS database for later analysis by a
doctor.
2.2.7 VERITAS simulation of users

Mr. Athanasios Tsakiris of CERTH/ITI presented the work performed in VERITAS
regarding the simulation of users (through Virtual User Models) and in specific the
simulation of cognitive impairment.
Figure 3: Mr Tsakiris presenting the VERITAS approach
He stressed out the need for cognitive accessibility evaluation of ICT GUIs (Graphical
User Interfaces) and the development of a design-for-all application at UI (User
Interface) design phase. The proposed solution is to introduce a new methodology to
evaluate cognitive accessibility of GUI designers. The novelty employed is the holistic
inclusion of cognitive parameters of VUM (Virtual User Models) in combination with
motor and vision parameters, thus resulting to the simulation of the interaction with UI
by virtual users.
Cognitive and Behavioral models of the human cognitive processes, fall in general in
three categories, i.e. Computational, Mathematical and Verbal-Conceptual, while
Computational Models can be distinguished into Symbolic, Sub-symbolic and Hybrid.
Although there are various such tools only few of them are used specifically for UI
assessment with support for motor/vision/hearing/cognitive simulation, and all

consider only a generic user instance, without taking specific impairments into
consideration.
The methodology that is followed in VERITAS has as starting point the definition of a
UI simulation scenario as a series of hierarchical tasks that are defined in Task
Models. Each Task can be considered as a set of Primitive Tasks that perform a
specific action, e.g. Click on OK button can be broken down into: a) Find OK Button
(visual-cognitive), b) Read OK Button (cognitive), c) Move mouse to OK Button
(motor) and d) Press Left Mouse Button (motor). The VERITAS Virtual User Model
describes the cognitive (as well as vision/hearing/motor) parameters affecting user
performance. These parameters and the corresponding ACT-R modules have been
mapped, providing completion times for each cognitive task supported by both ACT-
R and VERITAS. Task Success/Failure and completion times are affected by
impairments defined in VUMs.
This approach is also different from other UI simulation frameworks in that it is not a
generic UI (using e.g. HTML, Java, UsiXML or other UI modelling language) that is
being defined. Instead, a session interacting with an actual or mock-up UI is
registered, logging inputs (keyboard, mouse, etc.) and annotating the interactions on
specific areas of the recorded session to define hotspots (buttons, menus etc.)
GUI Application
Simulation Scenario VUM
Simulation Scenario
Generation Accessibility Assessment Simulation
Record Session Cognitive Time Delay Motor Simulation Module

Simulation
Module
Time Delay Hearing Simulation Module Assessment Report
Annotate
Interaction ACT-R
Components
Time Delay Vision Simulation Module
Adapt to
Simulation Model
Figure 4: Illustration of the methodology steps
The recorded session is considered as the Optimal User, who has no impairments,
knows the UI and makes no errors in the interaction. The recorded interaction events
are mapped to the Task Models used, in order to define the Simulation Model. Upon
simulation, several different VUMs can be used that, based on the impairment
parameters may:
Affect the times taken to perform cognitive tasks
Modify mouse trajectories, motion speed and accuracy
Induce key entry errors
Simulate visual and hearing impairments

This approach is implementation-agnostic, meaning that it can be applied to any GUI-

based application, wireframe or mock-up of one, regardless of platform, Operating
System, GUI sub-system, or input/output device
After explaining the methodology, Mr. Tsakiris presented the experimental results.
Cognitive primitive tasks were simulated for all complex tasks before the real-time
simulation of the UI interaction scenario. Each complex task was then assigned a
time delay before motor primitive tasks are performed, based on the time calculated
to perform the cognitive primitive tasks related with this task. Each VUM
corresponded to different groups of users with the same characteristics of a specific
impairment (e.g. Alzheimers Disease, Cognitive, Mental Fatigue etc.) and at which
severity of the impairment. The parameters of the VUM were applied to modify
specific parameters of the ACT-R model, to reflect these impairments.
Figure 5: Sample GUI used in the Use Case for a Healthcare Application (4 GUI
screens corresponding to 4 tasks Interaction area for each task marked with
red)
Three Virtual User Models were tested: No Impairment, Cognitive Aging and Mental
Fatigue (Sleep Deprivation). For each of them the results were calculated by ACT-R
for each VUM and then applied to the Holistic simulation in combination with vision,
hearing and motor tasks. The VERITAS simulation framework performs the
simulation in real-time, applying the results of each impairment in vision as visual
filters, hearing as audio filters, and motor as input filtering of mouse and keyboard
control either automatically or interactively, when the tester assumes the role of the
impaired user. The final Simulation report displays the total time vs. the time needed
to complete the cognitive primitive tasks for each Task. The UI designer can impose
time thresholds to determine success or failure of cognitive tasks.
To conclude, Mr. Tsakiris stated that a holistic approach in the accessibility

assessment of GUI-based ICT applications has been developed, using simulation of
Virtual User Models which describe cognitive parameters as an integral part of the

interaction process. Pilot studies involving actual users with impairments are in
process on all application domains covered by VERITAS by 5 different research
partners throughout 4 countries, to perform qualitative and quantitative evaluation of
the approach. Moreover pilots with UI designers are also being conducted, aiming to
evaluate the systems performance and acceptance by its potential target users and
are expected to be concluded by the end of the project (December 2013).
Upon question from the audience, Mr Tsakiris clarified that the aim is not to assess
the actions as such, but to assess if the interface is usable, understandable and easy
to use.
2.2.8 INTERSTRESS & VERITAS demonstration
Finally the developments of both INTERSTRESS and VERITAS projects were

demonstrated to the participants.
2.3 Outcomes
The workshop was successful. There was much interest on the concepts and
products of both projects and it was expressed that the results that will derive from
the tests performed in the two projects will have a significant impact. It was also
commented that a potential combination of the two projects products would be an
interesting perspective.

3 VERITAS Dissemination Workshop with

students
3.1 Agenda and description of the event
On the 28th November 2013, UPM organized a dissemination workshop to present
VERITAS concepts and tools at the Smart House Living Lab in Madrid. The mission
of the Smart House Living Lab is the research and development in the Ambient
Intelligence context of technology and services to prevent, care and promote the
health and welfare of people, support for social inclusion and the independent living
of fragile and dependent groups, in all stages of the value chain: training,
experimental research, technological development and technology transfer.
A group of 15 Spanish students (17-18 years old) from a professional training center
on Telecommunications and Informatics (College Santa Mara de los Apstoles,
Madrid) attended the workshop. The objective was to give them an overview of the
main concepts and potential of Ambient Assisted Living and Accessibility, how
VERITAS tools can help improve the process of design and assessment of
accessibility in a range of fields where AAL is applied, and, in particular, how
VERITAS can and should be used in the healthcare domain.
Two facilitators from UPM (Viveca Jimnez Mixco and Juan Bautista Montalv) were
in charge of explaining and demonstrating the following concepts to the participants
during one hour, following the agenda below. As the participants were all Spanish the
workshop took place in the national language.

VERITAS
Dissemination Workshop
Madrid, 28th November 2013

Location: Universidad Politcnica de Madrid
ETSI Telecomunicacin, Living Lab
Avda Complutense n30, 28040 Madrid
Time Subject
VERITAS concepts and tools
Ambient Intelligence and Ambient Assisted Living concept

VERITAS concept and objectives
VERITAS need in the healthcare domain
Demonstrations
17:00-18:00
Smart House Living Lab accessible infrastructure (including
Virtual Reality installation)
VERITAS tools
o Ver Gen
o Ver SED GUI
o Ver SIM GUI
Prototypes of the Remote monitoring application: Initial vs.
final versions
Figure 6: The agenda of the Workshop
3.2 Presentations
3.2.1 VERITAS concepts and tools
3.2.1.1 Ambient Intelligence and Ambient assisted Living concept
The workshop started by providing an overview of the Ambient Intelligence (AI) and
Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) concept. The overall concepts were explained to the
participants: what is AI and AAL, the main scope, the challenges, and the current
technological trends and barriers. The main areas where European research is
focusing were introduced, including AAL for health, rehabilitation and care and
copying with impairments and disabilities, which were the most relevant for

VERITAS and for UPM in particular. This last item led to the introduction of VERITAS
project and tools.
3.2.1.2 VERITAS concepts and objectives
The concept of accessibility and the main scope of VERITAS project were introduced
at this point. The role of technology to improve accessibility of systems and services
was highlighted, along with the wide range of possibilities that VERITAS tools can
offer to technology designers and developers, and the high potential benefits for
older people and people with disabilities by introducing embedded accessibility in ICT
and non-ICT solutions in several domains: Automotive, Smart Living spaces,
workplace, infotainment and personal healthcare and wellbeing. Students were very
curious about the functionality of the tools and the process that had to be followed by
designers in order to produce accessible solutions. They asked questions related to
the definition of the virtual users, the different ways of performing simulations and the
easiness of use for the designers.
Figure 7: Explanation of VERITAS concepts and tools, and the need of

VERITAS in the healthcare domain:
3.2.1.3 VERITAS need in the healthcare domain
Within VERITAS, UPM is involved in assessing and utilizing VERITAS tools for the
improvement of accessibility of applications and services in the healthcare domain.
At this point, the moderators gave an overview of the current situation of the
healthcare model; how the control is being redirected to the patients and why
providing accessible applications is critical to assure an appropriate user experience
and consequently to achieve adherence to treatments and plans. Also, moderators
explained the particular features and needs of healthcare applications and services
that make them different from applications in other domains and therefore make them
deserve specific focus and approach within VERITAS project (alarms, notifications,
alerts, treatments, guidelines, etc.). We explained several examples of healthcare

ICT applications and highlighted the particular problems that may arise for users if
the level of accessibility is not appropriate enough.
After the explanations, the workshop continued with several demonstrations in order
to give students a practical view of what they had learnt to that point.
3.2.2 Demonstrations
3.2.2.1 Smart House Living Lab accessible infrastructure (including Virtual

Reality installation)
The location of the workshop was the Smart House Living Lab, so we took the
opportunity to give a live demonstration. The main purpose, the main areas, the
technologies used and the services that the Living Lab provides were explained.
Namely, the services provided are:
Design:
o User-Centered Design
o Goal oriented design
o Ad-hoc accessible design
Development
o Prototypes
o Iterative development and validation processes
o Accessible multimodal interaction systems
o Virtual interaction
Verification and Validation
o Software verification.
o Usability evaluation.
o Accessibility Assessment.
o UX: User Experience assesment.
These services were explained to the students as they constitute the main value of
the Smart House Living Lab. In order to demonstrate some capabilities, also some
uses cases that have been implemented and tested there were shown, such as
control of domotic appliances using a Smartphone.
Participants then moved to the Virtual Reality infrastructure, which is unique because
it has an installation for a wheelchair user. This has been designed specifically for the
Smart House and allows a wheelchair user to experience virtual reality scenarios and
receive haptic feedback during simulations. Here we remarked again the benefits of
providing accessible technology.

Figure 8: Participants at the Smart House Virtual Reality infrastructure:
Figure 9: Participants in the Smart House infrastructure, listening to the

explanation about AAL concept:
3.2.2.2 VERITAS tools
Participants were then demonstrated the VERITAS tools in the display of the Virtual
reality infrastructure. We showed the specific tools that have been integrated in the
project methodology for assessment of accessibility of applications in the healthcare
domain. These are:
VER Gen for the generation of user models. Two models were created: one
for an old person (standard motor difficulties) and one for visual impairment
(glaucoma).
Ver Sed-GUI for the generation of scenarios. The main functionality and
process to be followed by designers was explained. As an example, one task
model of the remote monitoring application was loaded.
Ver Sim GUI for the simulations with virtual user models. The main purpose,
functionalities and processes to be followed were explained. In addition, some
reports and feedback were shown.

3.2.2.3 Prototypes of the Remote Monitoring application
The case study of the Remote monitoring application, which was one of the
applications assessed and improved through VERITAS tools and methodology, was
demonstrated in the final part of the workshop. Moderators showed the participants
the initial version of the application, its main purpose and functionalities. Non
immersive simulations were run with VerSIM GUI, using the previously created user
models, in order to show participants the log reports and identify the main
accessibility problems detected by VERITAS. This initial design was compared with
the features of the final improved design (final refined version after 2nd iteration of
pilots with designers and 1st phase of pilots with end users).
Figure 10: Demonstration of the prototypes of the Remote Monitoring

application:
With this specific demo the students were able to understand the utility of the tools
developed in VERITAS. They were able to see how the virtual user models simulated
the interaction of a person with low vision, and the motor problems of an old person,
and how these simulations and the feedback of VERITAS tools helped the designer
to realize about the problems. At this moment they started making comments about
what other solutions could be assessed with the tools, which benefits they thought
this could have for the users, and which could be the benefits/drawbacks for
designers in terms of time and difficulty added when designing solutions.
3.3 Outcomes
As a conclusion we could say that the workshop was successful in terms of
objectives achieved. Even though it was not long, students indeed learnt about the
concept of Ambient Intelligence, Ambient Assisted Living and Accessibility which was
our main purpose. Not only that: through the explanation of VERITAS project and
tools, and the interesting discussion with them, we made potential future designers
to think about the needs of designing accessible products right from the beginning
and the high benefits that this process implies.

4 High comfort and usability in automotive

4.1 Agenda and description of the event
CRF has organized a workshop focused on comfort and usability in automotive
scenarios, with the aim to improve the sensitivity to the problems of impaired
automotive users.
The invitation and the agenda was extended to all colleagues in FIAT involved in
design and ergonomics for Interiors, from project engineers to project and
performances leaders. More than 30 persons finally attended the workshop.
VERITAS Workshop
High comfort and
usability in automotive
Orbassano, 13th December 2013

Location: CRF - Orbassano - SALA A
Time Subject
09:00-09:30 Welcome coffee
09:30 09:45 Introduction (CRF)
09:45 10:15 Fiat AUTONOMY program: FGA solutions for impaired people (FGA)
High accessibility: an ergonomic point-of-view (CRF - Vehicle
10:15 10:45
Integration)
Virtual approach on comfort assessment in Siemens (Siemens
10:45 11:15
Group)
11:15 11:45 Interiors: an innovative approach to design (Design&Innovation)
11:45 12:00 Coffee Break
EU project VERITAS: a methodology for virtual assessment of
12:00 12:20
interiors comfort for elderly users (CRF)
EU project VERITAS: a methodology for virtual assessment of
12:20 12:40
motorcycles comfort for elderly users (Piaggio)
12:40 13:00 EU project ICityForAll : contents and first results (CRF)
13:00 13:30 Lunch Break
13:30 14:00 Discussion and round table
Figure 11: The agenda of the Workshop

4.2 Presentations
4.2.1 Welcome and introduction (CRF)
Mr. Bernard from CRF introduced the workshop and the agenda.
Product validation process in automotive is typically based on standard ergonomics

categories (e.g. percentiles): non-standard users (e.g. elderly and impaired people)
are not explicitly taken into account in normal production validation processes,
because they are not described by percentiles. Nevertheless, comfort and usability
for all users should become a standard approach for designers and engineers.
The main goals of the workshop are:
- sharing experiences already available within Fiat Group on accessibility and
- implement them with the results from public funded activities (namely VERITAS and
ICityforAll projects).
4.2.2 Fiat AUTONOMY program: FGA solutions for impaired people

Autonomy is the mobility program for disabled customers of Fiat Group Automobiles.
This project was developed in order to encourage, facilitate and provide an important
goal: freedom of movement for everyone, even those with limited sensory or
intellectual mobility.
Mr. Murazio from FGA showed and explained several solutions already available on
the market to adapt automotive interiors to impaired users, taking into account the
specific needs of the drivers. All normal production vehicles, from A segment to Light
Commercial Vehicles, can be adapted to the needs of impaired drivers, from the gear
control embedded in the steering wheel to easy-to-access vehicles for drivers with
wheelchair, to multifunctional vehicles dedicated to the transport of impaired people
and dedicated safety mechanism to lock wheels of wheelchairs in case of crash.
Fiat Autonomy supports impaired people in choosing and adapting their vehicle, or a
new vehicle, to their needs. The program supports many activities in sports (e.g.
Para-Olympic games) and other initiatives (ref. the site of the program:
http://www.fiatautonomy.com/EN/index.html).
Figure 12 Fiat Dobl adapted to transport passengers on wheelchair

4.2.3 High accessibility: an ergonomic point-of-view

High accessibility and comfort can be reached through different approaches, either
starting from adapting normal production solutions or developing brand new,
dedicated solutions.
Centro Ricerche Fiat has already worked on several activities about high accessibility
and comfort for impaired drivers and has developed a quite strong experience. Mrs.
Quattrocolo from CRF showed several outputs from past and recent research
activities committed by FIAT and other companies within Fiat Group about
accessibility and usability of interiors: both real impaired drivers and virtual manikins
were used to investigate different solutions for easy-to-access doors and seats, as
well as high accessibility and usability of interiors components.
Figure 13: Virtual evaluation of the actions needed by a user to move from a
whhelchair to the drivers seat
4.2.4 Virtual approach on comfort assessment in Siemens

As demonstrated in VERITAS, virtual human factors analysis tools can help to design
vehicle interiors for optimal occupant comfort and performance-without building costly
physical prototypes.
Mr. Properzi from Siemens Group showed the potential of JACK software developed
by Siemens Group to generate and manage a virtual environment and to check
usability and accessibility of pre-determined actions and postures.

Figure 14: Mr. Properzi is showing the potential of Jack virtual environment
4.2.5 Interiors: an innovative approach to design (Design&Innovation)

Innovative solutions for interiors: comfort as a driver for designers.
Mr. Mauri showed how the concept of accessibility and usability can be declined
within several aspects of the real life, from domotics to automotive applications, using
natural elements as a starting inspiration.
The main goal was to demonstrate how Nature can be a source of inspiration for
designers when comfort is requested.
Figure 15: Mr. Mauri is showing how natural elements can be inspiring for
designing automotive components
4.2.6 EU project VERITAS: a methodology for virtual assessment of

interiors comfort for elderly users
Mr. Bernard from CRF briefly introduced the VERITAS projects contents and goals.
Then, he explained how VERITAS methodology was applied to test the comfort of
some solutions for interiors (glovebox, e-Call button), from both virtual and subjective
point of view (leveraging on results from CERTH) in order to define the best one in
terms of usability and accessibility.

The main outputs of the evaluations (taking into account both the virtual approach
and the test with subjects) were that:
- The best positions in terms of accessibility of the e-Call button are within the
overhead consolle and integrated in the central stack, the latter being
preferred because more intuitive.
- The best solution for glovebox shows the handle as close as possible to the
driver, in order to minimize the opening and closing efforts.
Tests with beneficiaries substantially confirmed CRF results from virtual analysis,
using virtual manikins developed within VERITAS projects and set to simulate elderly
drivers impairments.
Figure 16: Explanation of the role of elderly people as automotive users and
costumers
4.2.7 EU project VERITAS: a methodology for virtual assessment of

motorcycles comfort for elderly users
VERITAS methodology was applied to three different domains: ergonomic analysis of
riding posture, vibrational comfort assessment for PTW riders and evaluation of on-
board information system (OBIS). Mrs. Ducci from Piaggio explained how Virtual
User Models developed within VERITAS project has been used for ergonomics and
riding comfort assessment. Virtual assessment has been validated through
experiments and pilots with beneficiaries. As third outcome an on-board evaluation
system has been redesigned taking into account the results from pilots with elderly
people who experienced auditory impairment. Visual and acoustic improvements
have been implemented into the new solution.

Figure 17: Explanation of the main goals of VERITAS project
4.2.8 EU project ICityForAll : contents and first results

The ICityForAll project is focused on presbycusis, which impacts intelligibility
perception and the ability to localize sound source. Presbycusis is presently rated as
the third impairment of the elderly after arthritis & hypertension.
Mrs. Bianco from CRF presented the main contents of the EU project ICityforAll,
aimed at developing innovative solutions to enhance speech and audio alarms
intelligibility for presbycusis people. The project is at an early stage but several
outcomes are very promising: for instance, smart loud speakers for better intelligibility
in confined public spaces such as railway stations, airports, museums and during car
driving, or embedded system in vehicles for automatic outdoor alarm localization and
indoor alarm enhancement.
The project has an active site to update news and outputs: http://www.aal-
europe.eu/projects/icityforall/
Figure 18 Presentation of the main goal and objectives of ICityforAll project
4.3 Outcomes
Several colleagues from both FIAT and CRF attended the event, and the feedback
was quite good: it was a good opportunity to share experiences, to cross-

contaminate approaches and ideas and to disseminate the contents of VERITAS

methodology.

5 VERITAS presence in major events

Apart from the three Workshops that were organized by VERITAS, the project
products and concept were also presented in numerous other occasions. Two major
events in the area of simulation and virtual environment took place in Stuttgart, in
June and November 2013. In both events the VERITAS Consortium was represented
(by FhG, USTUTT and BAUUNION) demonstrating the outcomes of the project in a
wide audience, mostly of designers, developers and researchers in the area of
product design. In this chapter, a brief overview is provided.
5.1 Stuttgart Symposium for Product Development SSP

2013
5.1.1 Description of the event
This Symposium was organized by FhG on the 19-20 June 2013, in the Fraunhofer
premises in Stuttgart.
The audience was mostly external attendees to the company (and the VERITAS
project). More than 200 people attended the event, among which most were
designers and developers, R&D Management experts and researchers in the area of
product design. The event was performed exclusively in German.
Figure 19: The program of the SSP 2013

5.1.2 VERITAS representation

The VERITAS project was represented by FhG. A demo of the VERITAS tools was
performed in the Immersive Engineering Lab of Fraunhofer IAO, opposite of the main
conference room. The demo was attended by 60% of the symposium participants,
who showed real interest to the work presented.
Moreover, a VERITAS poster was included in the poster session of the Symposium,
read by approximately 50% of participants. Last but not least, VERITAS leaflets were
distributed throughout the duration of the event.
Figure 20: The VERITAS poster

5.1.3 Outcomes
The attendees were in general highly interested in Virtual Engineering. They had low
awareness of the accessibility needs in traditional manufacturing industry (physical
products) and how these could be introduced in the design and development
process. Thus they showed great interest in the VERITAS approach, as an
innovation which would be greatly promising for the years to come.
5.2 Virtual Efficiency Congress
5.2.1 Description of the event

The Virtual Efficiency Congress took place on 7- 8 November 2013, in the Fraunhofer
premises in Stuttgart.
The Congress was attended by more than 60 external to the project professionals,
mostly comprised by architects, construction and building equipment engineers and
researchers from Fraunhofer and Virtual Dimension Center network. The event was
performed exclusively in German.
5.2.2 VERITAS representation

VERITAS was represented in the Congress by FhG and Bauunion. The VERITAS
logo was included in the program flyer. An immersive demo of VERITAS tools for
Smart Living Spaces took place at the Immersive Engineering Lab of Fraunhofer
IAO, opposite of the main conference room, which was attended by all the congress
participants. Moreover, there was a VERITAS booth with the project poster and
leaflets which were distributed to the participants.

Figure 21: Frontpage of the VEC 2013 program
5.2.3 Outcomes
The participants showed great interest in the project and were impressed by the
demonstration at the Immersive Lab. They expressed positively towards the need for
including accessibility engineering in architecture, which is already a quickly evolving
trend. However it was pointed out that Virtual Engineering in construction and
architecture is actually less developed than in automotive and other manufacturing
industries. Thus there is great potential for research and further exploitation in this
area.

6 Conclusions
This Deliverable presents the three Workshops that were organized by VERITAS
Consortium partners as well as two more major events in which VERITAS was
demonstrated. All five events addressed different audiences - from students and
doctors to automotive engineers, architects and designers in different countries
(Greece, Spain, Italy, Germany), thus covering a wide range of the disciplines that
the VERITAS products address, as well as different local communities. This
approach was considered more effective than organizing a single VERITAS
Conference, as it is more targeted and provides the time and means for a more
discipline-oriented dissemination.
In all events the participation of the attendees was very active, as they expressed
great interest in the project outcomes and the prospects their deployment would
offer. Moreover, awareness on the approaches and means used was raised, as
many of the attendees did not have the chance to use such tools in their work.
As a general conclusion, it may be noted that professionals (active and future) in all
research areas of VERITAS were impressed of the project outcomes and the
reaction towards the exploitation of such tools was very positive. Synergies with the
work performed in related research initiatives were also exploited, thus offering a new
window of opportunities for the evolution of virtual and augmented environment
application for the needs of accessibility design.

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Accessible and Assistive ICT

Minutes of VERITAS Dissemination Workshops

SubProject No. SP4 SubProject Horizontal Activities

Workpackage WP4.3.2 Workpackag Dissemination

Activity No. A4.3.2 Activity Title Workshops, Events and demos

Authors Kalliopi Vitzilaiou (CERTH/HIT), Viveca

Status (F: final; D: draft; RD: revised F

File Name: VERITAS_D4.3.4.doc

Project start date and duration 01 January 2010, 48 Months

Version History table

2 2nd Draft prepared by CERTH/HIT and sent to partners for

3 Final draft for peer review (February 2014)

4 Final Deliverable (February 2014)

February 2014 2 CERTH/HIT

February 2014 3 CERTH/HIT

5.2.3 Outcomes ......................................................................................................... 34

February 2014 4 CERTH/HIT

February 2014 5 CERTH/HIT

AAL Ambient Assistive Living

February 2014 6 CERTH/HIT

The second workshop (Chapter 3) was organised by UPM and addressed to

February 2014 7 CERTH/HIT

1. INTERSTRESS-VERITAS Workshop, which took place in the CERTH/HIT

2. VERITAS Dissemination Workshop with students, which took place in the

1. Symposium for Product Development, which took place in Stuttgart, Germany

February 2014 8 CERTH/HIT

INTERSTRESS VERITAS WORKSHOP

Thursday, 3 October 2013

09:30 10:00 Registration

10:00 - 10:15 Welcome

Stress in everyday life

11:15 11:30 Questions Discussion

11:30 - 12:00 Break

The Interstress approach

12:30 13:15 The Interstress approach

13:15 13:30 Interstress &VERITAS Demonstration

13:30 Light Lunch

February 2014 9 CERTH/HIT

2.2.2 Stress in everyday life

2.2.3 Stress in transportation

February 2014 10 CERTH/HIT

Figure 2: Dr. Bekiaris presenting the effects of stress in transportation

In order to prevent stress, a series of ergonomic recommendations for professional

February 2014 11 CERTH/HIT

2.2.4 The Interstress project

Mr Pavlos Spanidis of CERTH/HIT made an overall presentation of the Interstress

February 2014 12 CERTH/HIT

2.2.5 Affective State Aware Biometric Recognition

2.2.6 Using Activity related behavioural features towards more effective

The registration included video, accelerometer and biosignal measurements. The

February 2014 13 CERTH/HIT

2.2.7 VERITAS simulation of users

Figure 3: Mr Tsakiris presenting the VERITAS approach

February 2014 14 CERTH/HIT

Record Session Cognitive Time Delay Motor Simulation Module

Figure 4: Illustration of the methodology steps

Affect the times taken to perform cognitive tasks

Modify mouse trajectories, motion speed and accuracy

Induce key entry errors

Simulate visual and hearing impairments

February 2014 15 CERTH/HIT

This approach is implementation-agnostic, meaning that it can be applied to any GUI-

To conclude, Mr. Tsakiris stated that a holistic approach in the accessibility