Personale docente

Guido Matrella, graduated in electrical engineering at the University of Parma in 1999, has received in 2003 his PhD in "Information Technology" in the same university. Currently, he is Confirmed Researcher at the Department of Information Engineering.

The recent activities and the scientific production of Guido Matrella are focalized on the development of Assistive Technologies (ATs) dedicated to disabled and elderly care.

The main part of this research activities has been devoted to the development of a home automation system (called CARDEA), specifically designed for assistive applications, based on open and standard technologies, such as Ethernet, TPC-IP, and communications protocols based on XML.

CARDEA is a HW/SW framework system, that enables for a fully remote control and monitor of the domestic environment, designed and developed to be versatile, interoperable, accessible and affordable.

Currently, the most significant projects in which CARDEA is used are the following:

- Project ‘A Nostra Cà’: funded by the Emilia Romagna and the CaRiParma Foundation, with several pilot installations in sheltered houses for elderly located in the Parma Apennines, like in Neviano degli Arduini, in Tiedoli (near Borgotaro), in Santa Maria del Taro (near Tornolo), in Monchio delle Corti and Solignano;

- Project 'PERSONA': a European project in which we participated as sub-contractors of the “Taro and Ceno Valleys Community”, with an installation in the Day Care Center of the Cooperativa Bucaneve, in Bardi;

- Casa Scarzara Project: a project realized in collaboration with the AISM (Italian Association for Multiple Sclerosis) for the develop of an
automatic alarm system, based on a wireless sensor of physiological parameters, embedded in CARDEA home automation system; this system was realized and installed in the socio-rehabilitative Center ‘Casa Scarzara’, in Parma.

Moreover, in recent years, his activities have also focused on the design of digital Embedded Systems based on Programmable Logic-based FPGAs, and, in particular, dedicated to the development of intelligent video sensor specific for assistive functions.

He is also working on the integration of wearable sensors of physiological parameters with the home automation system to monitor the well-being state of persons.

He is a founding member of the Center TAU (Assistive Technology University) of Parma, an interdepartmental center created to promote collaborations and projects in the field of ATs.

He collaborates, as technical expert in home automation, at the activities of CAAD (Domestic Ambient Adaptation Center) of the Municipality of Parma, a Center that offers at the citizens: information, advice and training on issues related to the problem of the accessibility of the home and the adoption of assistive devices.

Recently, he was among the organizers of the ForItAAL2012, the 3rd Forum of Ambient Assisted Living Italian Association (AITAAL), and it was one of the editors of the book "AAL in Italia: primo libro bianco" ("AAL in Italy: first white book").

In recent months he was the transnational coordinator of the ICT working group of the ELCANET project (www.elcanetproject.eu), a European project funded in the framework of Europe for Citizen Programme, dedicated to the study and the comparison of new models of care for the elderly.