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The second phase of validation of the artificial intelligence technology in the SmartWork project has been implemented at Caritas Coimbra since June 2021. The SmartWork system aims to monitor and improve the well-being and quality of work of office workers aged 55 years old and older. This work is done within the scope of the European project SmartWork (funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme).

This pilot is taking place in Portugal and Denmark, involving a total of 60 employees over 55 years of age, as well as some of their family members and supervisors. In Caritas Coimbra, the pilot has participants in various areas of the institution’s social and care support services: in Education and leisure-time centres, Social Care and Support for Older adults, Social Inclusion, and Central Services. Furthermore, the Portuguese pilot also includes the participation of Dr Manuel Antunes, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

These two pilots – in Portugal and Denmark – build on earlier work from the pre-pilot implemented in 2020 at Caritas Coimbra. This second phase in pilot implementation focusses on the usability of the updated version of the SmartWork system from an end user perspective. The system was installed on the computer and/or work phone of the participants and additional equipment was provided when needed. Employees could then access some physiological parameters (e.g.: number of steps per day, heart rate tracking, sleep tracking, galvanic skin response, etc.). Furthermore, they could also interact with a virtual assistant whose personalized suggestions and recommendations aim to improve their lifestyle and reduce their health risks, both within and outside the work environment. In addition to these features, others have also been made available to participants (e.g.: air quality monitoring, noise level or thermal comfort in the workspace, change the size of text and icons, audio feature to read text by speakerphone or other custom screen adjustments).

This new version of the system aims to support not only the workers and their employers in the management of their daily work routines, but also the relatives of these employees. The system can support them in their tasks and concerns in informal care.

This task also has the direct support of the Laboratory for Automation and Systems (LAS) of Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), the consortium’s technological partner which has had a crucial role in the implementation of the SmartWork solution, particularly in the case of the Portuguese pilot.

Last but not least, a special thank you to Caritas Coimbra’s workers, as well as their technical directors, for the careful and enthusiastic way in which they have collaborated with the Innovation Department, and the SmartWork project, in particular. Caritas Coimbra and the Innovation Department would also like to leave a special thanks and heartfelt tribute to Odete Andrade.

Additional information about the Smartwork project is available at: https://caritascoimbra.pt/project/smartwork/