Background: Loneliness and social isolation are major public health concerns for older adults, with severe mental and physical health consequences. New technologies may have a great impact in providing support to the daily lives of older adults and addressing the many challenges they face. In this scenario, technologies based on voice assistants (VAs) are of great interest and potential benefit in reducing loneliness and social isolation in this population, because they could overcome existing barriers with other digital technologies through easier and more natural human-computer interaction. Objective: This study aims to investigate the use of VAs to reduce loneliness and social isolation of older adults by performing a systematic literature review and a bibliometric cluster mapping analysis. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases for articles that were published in the last 6 years, related to the following main topics: voice interface, VA, older adults, isolation, and loneliness. A total of 40 articles were found, of which 16 (40%) were included in this review. The included articles were then assessed through a qualitative scoring method and summarized. Finally, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSviewer software (Leiden University’s Centre for Science and Technology Studies). Results: Of the 16 articles included in the review, only 2 (13%) were considered of poor methodological quality, whereas 9 (56%) were of medium quality and 5 (31%) were of high quality. Finally, through bibliometric analysis, 221 keywords were extracted, of which 36 (16%) were selected. The most important keywords, by number of occurrences and by total link strength; results of the analysis with the Association Strength normalization method; and default values were then presented. The final bibliometric network consisted of 36 selected keywords, which were grouped into 3 clusters related to 3 main topics (ie, VA use for social isolation among older adults, the significance of age in the context of loneliness, and the impact of sex factors on well-being). For most of the selected articles, the effect of VA on social isolation and loneliness of older adults was a minor theme. However, more investigations were done on user experience, obtaining preliminary positive results. Conclusions: Most articles on the use of VAs by older adults to reduce social isolation and loneliness focus on usability, acceptability, or user experience. Nevertheless, studies directly addressing the impact that using a VA has on the social isolation and loneliness of older adults find positive and promising results and provide important information for future research, interventions, and policy development in the field of geriatric care and technology.

In this paper, we present an exhaustive description of an extensible e-Health Internet-connected embedded system, which allows the measurement of three biometric parameters: pulse rate, oxygen saturation and temperature, via several wired and wireless sensors residing to the realm of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and cognitive assessment through Choice Reaction Time (CRT) analysis. The hardware used is based on ATMEGA AVR + MySignals Hardware printed circuit board (Hardware PCB), but with multiple upgrades (including porting from ATMEGA328P to ATMEGA2560). Multiple software improvements were made (by writing high-level device drivers, text-mode and graphic-mode display driver) for increasing functionality, portability, speed, and latency. A top-level embedded application was developed and benchmarked. A custom wireless AT command firmware was developed, based on ESP8266 firmware to allow AP-mode configuration and single-command JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) data-packet pushing towards the cloud platform. All software is available in a git repository, including the measurement results. The proposed eHealth system provides with specific NCDs and cognitive views fostering the potential to exploit correlations between physiological and cognitive data and to generate predictive analysis in the field of eldercare.

The study conducted a systematic review with a bibliometric analysis to examine the extent of utilization and effectiveness of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and concurrent engineering (CE) in managing and optimizing system design factors in complex systems across various domains, including space, healthcare, as well as active and assisted living and smart environments. The study aims to explore how MBSE and CE can address the inherent challenges in complex system definition and development, particularly focusing on their impact on system design factors such as mission analysis, system architecture, cost, schedule, and risk contingencies, which are commonly considered critical across the entire system lifecycle. By utilizing the PICO framework, the review formulates research questions and systematically searches multiple databases to identify relevant studies. The systematic review highlights that MBSE is prominently used in approximately 88% of the analyzed articles. These integrations enhance the methodologies’ ability to manage complexity and improve efficiency across various stages of the system lifecycle. Specialized tools such as MagicDraw, Cameo Systems Modeler, and OPCAT play a crucial role in the technical implementation of MBSE and CE, providing detailed diagrams and models that represent system components with their interactions and behavior. The principal findings highlight how MBSE and CE support product systems engineering (PSE) in the early lifecycle stages of complex systems of interest. This support is particularly evident in optimizing system design, reducing time, costs, and technological risks, and enhancing the efficiency of business systems engineering through lifecycle management and quality management.

Long-duration space flight missions impose extreme physiological stress and/or changes, such as musculoskeletal function degradation, on the crew due to the microgravity exposure. A great deal of research studies have been conducted in order to understand these physiological stress influences and to provide countermeasures to minimize the observed negative effects of weightlessness exposure on musculoskeletal function. Among others, studies and experiments have been conducted in DI analogue Earth-based facilities in order to reproduce the weightlessness negative effects on the human body. This paper presents a complex muscular analysis of mechanical wave propagation in striated muscle, using MusTone, a device developed in-house at the Institute of Space Science, Romania. The data were collected during a 21-day DI campaign in order to investigate muscle fibers’ behavior in longitudinal direction, after applying a mechanical impulse, taking into account two particular parameters, namely propagation velocity and amortization ratio. The parameters were determined based on the wave-propagation data collected from five points (one impact point, two distal direction points, and two proximal direction points) along the muscle fiber. By statistically analyzing propagation velocity and amortization ratio parameters, the study revealed that muscle deconditioning is time dependent, the amortization ratio is more significant in the distal direction, and the lower fibers are affected the most.

BACKGROUND Loneliness and social isolation are major public health concerns for older adults, with severe mental and physical health consequences. New technologies may have a great impact in providing support to the daily lives of older adults and addressing the many challenges they face. In this scenario, technologies based on voice assistants (VAs) are of great interest and potential benefit in reducing loneliness and social isolation in this population, because they could overcome existing barriers with other digital technologies through easier and more natural human-computer interaction. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the use of VAs to reduce loneliness and social isolation of older adults by performing a systematic literature review and a bibliometric cluster mapping analysis. METHODS We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases for articles that were published in the last 6 years, related to the following main topics: voice interface, VA, older adults, isolation, and loneliness. A total of 40 articles were found, of which 16 (40%) were included in this review. The included articles were then assessed through a qualitative scoring method and summarized. Finally, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using VOSviewer software (Leiden University’s Centre for Science and Technology Studies). RESULTS Of the 16 articles included in the review, only 2 (13%) were considered of poor methodological quality, whereas 9 (56%) were of medium quality and 5 (31%) were of high quality. Finally, through bibliometric analysis, 221 keywords were extracted, of which 36 (16%) were selected. The most important keywords, by number of occurrences and by total link strength; results of the analysis with the Association Strength normalization method; and default values were then presented. The final bibliometric network consisted of 36 selected keywords, which were grouped into 3 clusters related to 3 main topics (ie, VA use for social isolation among older adults, the significance of age in the context of loneliness, and the impact of sex factors on well-being). For most of the selected articles, the effect of VA on social isolation and loneliness of older adults was a minor theme. However, more investigations were done on user experience, obtaining preliminary positive results. CONCLUSIONS Most articles on the use of VAs by older adults to reduce social isolation and loneliness focus on usability, acceptability, or user experience. Nevertheless, studies directly addressing the impact that using a VA has on the social isolation and loneliness of older adults find positive and promising results and provide important information for future research, interventions, and policy development in the field of geriatric care and technology.

Designing IoT-based cognitive assessment and monitoring devices for older adults poses critical challenges in managing trade-offs between accessibility and functionality. With the global aging population to exceed 2 billion by 2050, an increasing number of older adults will require Active Assisted Living (AAL) technologies to support independent living. Cognitive impairments make standard interfaces difficult to use, necessitating user-centered design approaches. Effective solutions must address the transition from document-centric to model-based design, incorporating co-design with users and caregivers, iterative modeling cycles, and continuous model evolution. This study highlights key factors that call for a hybrid approach, blending the flexibility of rapid prototyping with the accuracy and robustness of precision engineering. This study demonstrates a successful implementation of a cognitive detection device within an AAL European project by presenting Design SynMeth, a novel blended Model-Based Systems Engineering methodology that maps Object-Process Methodology (OPM) to Systems Modeling Language (SysML) using a modified MagicGrid framework. This approach bridges early and late design phases, integrating OPM’s strength in conceptual modeling and SysML’s rigor in technical specifications. Design SynMeth enhances system design efficiency and adaptability to IoT challenges. The case study reveals how Design SynMeth methodology models the architecture of a mobile health wellbeing device for detecting cognitive issues, supporting seniors’ autonomy. It highlights the dynamic interplay between problem and solution domains, leveraging OPM diagrams for problem domain and SysML diagrams for requirements and solution domain. This work advances the state of the art in IoT-based cognitive monitoring and promotes innovative, human-centered engineering for aging societies.