Part of teaching architecture and building students about building construction involves taking them on to a building site where they can observe, first hand, some of the techniques used to assemble buildings. One problem with this sort of teaching is the availability of accessible building sites. The SSV (Simulated Site Visits) system has been designed to teach students about the process of constructing a building through multimedia, thus reducing the need to physically visit construction sites. SSV combines the potential of multimedia, the easy-to-comprehend interface of virtual reality and the organisational capacity of relational databases. Although limited by slow networks, SSV is capable of delivering its information through the Internet to a world-wide audience. SSV can also be seen as a method for the long-term storage of information that could be applied to other disciplines

Upper extremity exercise training has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in different chronic health conditions. Arm-operated bicycles are frequently used to facilitate upper extremity training however effective use of these devices at patient homes is hampered by lack of remote connectivity with clinical rehabilitation team, inability to monitor exercise progress in real time using simple graphical representation, and absence of an alert system which would prevent exertion levels exceeding those approved by the clinical rehabilitation team. We developed an interactive biking exercise (iBikE) platform aimed at addressing these limitations. The platform uses a miniature wireless 3-axis accelerometer mounted on a patient wrist that transmits the cycling acceleration data to a laptop. The laptop screen presents an exercise dashboard to the patient in real time allowing easy graphical visualization of exercise progress and presentation of exercise parameters in relation to prescribed targets. The iBikE platform is programmed to alert the patient when exercise intensity exceeds the levels recommended by the patient care provider. The iBikE platform has been tested in 7 healthy volunteers (age range: 26-50 years) and shown to reliably reflect exercise progress and to generate alerts at pre-setup levels. Implementation of remote connectivity with patient rehabilitation team is warranted for future extension and evaluation efforts.

This project is aimed to assess feasibility of a novel patient-centered education model combining behavioral theories and interactive computer media to promote patient-driven care. The following specific features of the proposed model has been implemented: I) the educational intervention targets specific constructs, shown to facilitate patient self-care, in a unique way which accounts for psycho-social profile, disease history and personal preferences; 2) the educational intervention is linked and coordinated with patient electronic medical record; 3) computer-assisted education is driven by theories of adult learning and could be adapted to different levels of education, cognition or individual disabilities; 4) specific components has been included to achieve sustainability of benefits attained by initial patient education. Feasibility of the model in patients with multiple sclerosis has been evaluated

We developed a Web based system for ambulatory monitoring of pulmonary function and tested it in a home setting in 14 asthma patients. The system uses a portable spirometer for patient self testing and a palmtop computer that transmits the results from patients' homes to a hospital information system via phone or wireless network. The results are immediately available to physicians on a Web site, accessible via an Internet Web browser from any location. The system provides daily monitoring of 29 indices of Forced Vital Capacity test (FVC), the flow-volume loop and symptom scores. It generates alerts based on changes in data trends and exchanges messages between patients and physicians. All patients successfully uploaded their FVC data including the flow-volume loop and symptom scores from their homes to our central repository. The flow-volume loop and FVC parameters provided a more accurate assessment of the patients' asthma, and uncovered previously unrecognized nocturnal asthma and small airway obstruction. We believe our approach will be useful for asthma management on a day-to-day basis and in clinical research.