Matilde Rocha has been honored with the IEEE Outstanding MSc Thesis Award – Portugal Section.

Her thesis "Photonic solution for elder’s indoor activity monitoring" focuses on developing a photonic system utilizing optical fibre Bragg gratings-based accelerometers. This innovative solution incorporates advanced algorithms to detect falls, track location, and monitor daily activities by analysing floor vibrations caused by user movements.

The system was tested in an elderly person's home, proving its practicality for real-world use. One of the key benefits is its ability to function seamlessly without requiring any intervention from the user. This work, developed within the scope of the SAFE-HOME project, was supervised by Nélia Alberto and M. Fátima Domingues (Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi and IT).

The IEEE Outstanding MSc Thesis Award recognizes exceptional contributions to technological advancement. Matilde’s work tackles the challenges posed by the aging population and the need for continuous monitoring of their daily activities, to ensure their safety and enable fast intervention in emergency situations. Given the increasing risk of at-home accidents and the lack of on-time first-aid healthcare assistance, these cost-efficient home monitoring technologies for the elders, which comprise multiple essential services for daily monitoring, are crucial.