We live in a world where health technology is ubiquitous. From our smartphones and smartwatches to smart homes, our connected technology collects immense amounts of data which potential still has to be explored.
At the Ubiquitous Health Technology Lab (UbiLab) we design, develop, and evaluate technology that can be used with minimal burden to the user, with maximum reliability, and outstanding user experience. Zero-effort technology allows data to be collected without any attachments or markers on technology users.
The research team at the UbiLab is interested in exploring the following areas of health technology research:
- mHealth and eHealth technology design for supporting population-level studies.
- Big data, artificial intelligence, and health data analytics to support technology evaluation.
- Wearables and zero-effort sensors for remote patient monitoring.
- Applications of IoT technology for large-scale, population-level studies.
- Global eHealth interventions using IoT technology for implementing hyper-local environment and health monitoring ecosystems.
We are looking for passionate students interested in working for the future of healthcare to join our research team.
Research
We strive to design zero-effort health technology that can deliver the maximum benefit to users without an impact on their quality of life. Some of our projects include:
UbiLab wins Healthy Behaviour Data Challenge
The Ubiquitous Health Technology Lab (UbiLab), headed by School of Public Health Sciences professor Plinio Morita, was one of three $25,000 winners in a national competition aimed at generating new methods to collect and use data in public health monitoring.
News
Featured on CTV: 'Life-or-death' issue: How one tool is identifying false health claims on social media
The sheer volume of social media posts published on a daily basis means health experts hoping to set the record straight face a near impossible challenge – how do you know which claims will sputter out, which ones will gain momentum, and the best way to counteract false messaging?
These are some of the questions researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario hope to answer with a tool used to identify health misinformation on social media. Named U-MAS, short for UbiLab Misinformation Analysis System, the University of Waterloo research tool is able to track health misinformation patterns before they become potential catastrophes.
Read the full article here.
Featured on Canadian Affairs: Self-serve machines fail to serve consumers with disabilities
Self-serve machines have become an ubiquitous way to place restaurant orders, buy transit tickets or purchase groceries. But for many consumers with disabilities, they are self-serve in name only. These machines often do not have features to make them accessible for consumers with disabilities, or consumers cannot find these features.
Few guidelines exist about how to make self-serve machines accessible to consumers with disabilities. A recent study from the University of Waterloo seeks to better understand the problems consumers with disabilities face when using self-serve machines, and how those barriers can be fixed.
Featured in the New York Post: How smart thermostats can reveal sleep patterns
Smart thermostats can provide insights into sleep quality, allowing researchers to infer a person’s sleep patterns without invasive monitoring. The finding is one of several developments presented this week at Sleep 2024, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Researchers analyzed eight terabytes of data collected from Ecobee smart thermostats in more than 178,000 households. Homeowners voluntarily contributed this data for energy efficiency research. The study team — led by postdoctoral researcher Jasleen Kaur — leveraged the Ecobee motion sensors to accurately identify complex sleep patterns and disturbances.
Explore all UbiLab Projects.