ASE – Assistive and Smart Environments Laboratory

Activities

The laboratory, founded in 2009 by Fabio Salice and Sara Comai, was established with the goal of conducting research and teaching activities in the field of assistive technologies for vulnerable individuals, with particular attention to older adults, people with mild and/or degenerative cognitive impairments (e.g., dementia and Alzheimer’s disease), and those with motor frailties. 

As skills and technologies evolved, the laboratory broadened its mission and became ASE – Assistive and Smart Environments Laboratory, expanding its focus to include smart environments and Ambient Intelligence solutions aimed at supporting, monitoring, and improving quality of life. 

The laboratory develops its research activities by placing people’s needs and their quality of life at the centre.

ASE’s mission is to design, develop, and promote innovative ICT solutions that foster autonomy, safety, and self-determination for vulnerable individuals, while also supporting the relationship between the person and the caregiver through tools that enhance communication, reduce the care burden, and increase mutual trust. 

In particular, the laboratory is committed to developing technologies that: 

• enable more independent living, both at home and in outdoor environments;
• strengthen safety, supporting both the vulnerable person and the caregiver in managing daily life;
• promote social inclusion and active participation;
• support economically sustainable solutions capable of reducing costs and being adopted not only by individual families but also on a broader social and institutional scale;
• enhance residual abilities, reduce barriers, and improve everyday well-being.

 The ASE laboratory operates as a multidisciplinary space where people, technologies, and smart environments converge to create sustainable, safe, and person-cantered assistive ecosystems.

ASE carries out analysis, research, design, and development of methodologies, algorithms, and application solutions in the following areas: 

• Behavioural Concept Drift: early identification of behavioural drifts in vulnerable individuals.
• Emotion and Mood Identification: detection of emotions and mood.
• HAR and ADL Recognition: multi-sensor fusion for estimating and recognizing daily activities (ADL – Activities of Daily Living), behaviours in indoor environments, and human activities.
• HRQoL Analysis: prospective analysis of health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
• Monitoring Systems: development of innovative monitoring systems—intrusive (e.g., wearable devices, cameras) and non-intrusive (e.g., indoor sensors)—for indoor (homes, care facilities) and outdoor environments.
• Human Dependability: concurrent detection of human error and hardware error in monitored environments.
• Participatory and Social Support: technologies and methodologies to foster inclusion and participation of people with vulnerabilities, including motor impairments.
• Ambient Intelligence / System Integration: integration of hardware/software systems and solutions for smart environments designed to support vulnerable individuals.