Smart living

Research applications

With Smart Living we mean lifestyles based on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), linked to the citizen behavior and the energy consumption connected to them, with a single final purpose: to improve the lifestyle of all of us. In this framework, the thematic area Smart Care deals with the development and implementation of technological solutions dedicated to the rehabilitation and home care of the inhabitants. To this extent, IFN-CNR has a long-standing experience (i) in developing investigating techniques based on time-domain near infrared spectroscopy, and (ii) functionalized Si based sensors for gas alert. Sensors and devices for time-domain functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, with imaging capabilities and eventually combined with a Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy instrumentation, are available for the non-invasive monitoring of the hemodynamics and oxidative metabolism in the muscle and in the brain, both in physiological and pathological conditions. The information these tools provide can be exploited to follow the progress achieved by neurological and fragile subjects during their functional and cognitive rehabilitation activities. Furthermore, the technological advancements in the engineering and miniaturization of the main components of these devices allowed the realization of new ultra-portable and / or wearable TD-fNIRS sensors.