An increasing number of older people are recovering at home following a stay in a geriatric rehabilitation centre. The REHABOT project is developing a smart AI assistant that supports older people during their recovery at home and helps healthcare professionals gain a better understanding of the recovery process.

Reason 

Due to the ageing population, pressure on the healthcare system is rising rapidly. At the same time, older people are spending increasingly shorter periods in care facilities following a hospital or rehabilitation stay, meaning that a large proportion of their rehabilitation takes place at home. 

Digital rehabilitation platforms and sensor technology make it possible to support patients at home and monitor their progress remotely. However, these systems also present challenges. Healthcare professionals often lack context regarding patients’ home situations, making it difficult to interpret sensor data. Digital feedback also frequently lacks the personal nuance of face-to-face support. 

This creates a need for technology that not only collects data, but also helps to better understand it and to support patients in a way that is both clear and motivating.

Goal 

REHABOT is developing an AI-supported rehabilitation system that helps older people recover at home and supports healthcare professionals with remote monitoring and guidance. 

The project is investigating how artificial intelligence can contribute to more personalised, understandable and context-aware support during the rehabilitation process.

Expected outcomes 

The project delivers: 

• An AI-powered home rehabilitation assistant for older people.

• A digital platform for monitoring and support by healthcare professionals.

• New insights into human-centred AI applications in healthcare.

• Enhanced support for home rehabilitation and greater opportunities for personalised remote support.  

In addition, REHABOT helps to reduce the pressure on geriatric care and supports independent recovery at home. 

Image & Video

Publications

Project duration

from 01-09-2026 to 01-09-2028

Project manager

Bin Yu, associate lector, Digital Life, Hogeschool van Amsterdam

Researchers

Somaya Ben Allouch, lector, Digital Life, HvA

Michel Oey, docent-onderzoeker, Digital Life, HvA

Daniel Bossen, associate lector eHealth en Beweeggedrag, HvA

Margriet Pol. associate lector Technologie en Participatie, HvA

Shihan Wang, associate professor, Universiteit Utrecht

Marije Holwege, lector Geriatrische Revalidatie, Hogeschool Inholland & Omring

Funding

SIA RAAK Publiek

Partners

• Omring
• De Zorgcirkel
• Argos Zorggroep
• Hipper Therapeutics B.V.
• PAM B.V.

In Amsterdam districts where many residents have a low socioeconomic position, people often face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and limited access to care. This creates a paradox: those most at risk often seek help only when symptoms have become severe.

During our HARTstikke Gezond community health weeks, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and BMI are measured in local neighbourhoods. Yet the core problem is not the lack of measurements, but the absence of an effective mechanism that connects these biomedical values to personal, social and environmental context.

AI as a Bridge develops this missing link: an AI-triage system that translates measurements into clear advice, and a connected matchbot that converts this advice into concrete actions and suitable local activities. Together, these systems help residents
better understand their results, turn advice into action, and take earlier steps towards improving their health.

Image & Video

Publications

Project duration

from 10-10-2026 to 10-10-2029

Project manager

Dr. Bart Baselmans, hoofddocent Biomedische Technologie – Faculteit Techniek, Hogeschool van Amsterdam

Researchers

Somaya Ben Allouch, lector, Digital Life, HvA

Bin Yu, asscoiate lector, Digital Life, HvA

Wiek Dirks, Biomedische Technologie, HvA

Pim Kruijt, Biomedische Techonologie, HvA

Funding

ZonMw IMDI (Innovative Medical Devices Initiative) | Technologie voor Bemensbare Zorg – vraaggestuurde innovaties

Partners

• Buurtcampus Amsterdam Oost and Zuid-Oost
• GOO Amsterdam Nieuw-West
• Amsterdam UMC, Cardiologie
• LOA Foundation
• Nederlandse Hartstichting
• Eindhoven Engine
• AlleyApp
• Universiteit Utrecht | ELSA Lab
• GGD Amsterdam
• Team Sportservice
• ROZO
• Gemeente Amsterdam

Working together effectively

The project focuses on developing ‘collaborative intelligence’: effective collaboration between doctors and AI in the field of oncology. AI is already capable of quickly and accurately detecting, localising and monitoring tumours based on medical scans. However, this technology is still used only to a limited extent in clinical practice.

That is striking, particularly given that radiologists face high workloads, staff shortages and an increased risk of burnout. Many tasks in oncological imaging, such as preparing radiotherapy plans, are essential, but also repetitive and mentally taxing.

Relevance to everyday practice

A key objective of the project is therefore not only to develop smart AI, but also to design applications that are well suited to everyday practice in hospitals. The focus is on human-AI interaction: how can we ensure that technology actually supports doctors, rather than creating extra work or uncertainty?

The consortium, comprising the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) and the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), is one of 31 research teams to receive funding under the ZonMw Open Competition, from a total budget of over 26 million euros. The competition is known for its fierce competition, which makes the award and high rating of this project all the more remarkable.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we interpret cancer scans. Research shows that AI can detect cancer faster and often more accurately, delineate tumours and monitor treatment outcomes, sometimes better than doctors. Yet AI is still only used to a limited extent in hospitals, both in the Netherlands and worldwide. This is worrying, as radiologists face high workloads, staff shortages and the risk of burnout.

Some tasks in oncological imaging, such as measuring tumours or marking them for radiotherapy, are crucial but also repetitive and mentally exhausting. AI can take over a large part of this routine work. This leaves doctors with more time and energy for what really matters: complex decisions and collaboration with other specialists to plan the best care.

The challenge is not only to build smart AI, but also to ensure that this technology fits seamlessly into hospital processes and actually supports doctors in their daily work.

Project duration

1 Sep 2026 -1 Sep 2030

Project manager

prof. dr Somaya Ben Allouch

Researchers

dr Bin Yu

Dr. Kevin Groot Lipman, Het Nederlands Kanker Instituut

Dr. Doenja Lambregts, Het Nederlands Kanker Instituut

Funding

ZonMw Open Competition

Partners

• Nederlands Kanker Instituut (NKI)
• Universiteit van Amsterdam
• ELSA Lab Health Inequity

The project proposal has been approved by CLICKNL for the next phase, during which CLICKNL will work with the project team to develop a detailed project plan for approval and funding.

A necessary transition

The subject of this project MEDAL is: from medical records to real-time health data: encouraging meaningful daily data collection through design, AI and social engagement. Essentially, the research explores how design, AI and social engagement can motivate people to collect and actively use daily health data. This is crucial for alleviating the pressure on the healthcare system and enabling personalised care.

In recent years, a new approach to participatory healthcare has emerged, in which individuals actively manage their health alongside clinicians, supported by technology and data. In addition to medical records, personal lifestyle data – including experiences, behaviours and lifestyles – are important for this transition, as they enable self-monitoring and improvements in health.

New approaches to participatory healthcare

However, individuals’ motivation to collect data and use it in a meaningful way remains low. Many of the current approaches are technologically advanced but do not fit naturally into people’s daily routines and do not enable them to interpret their data and act on it.

This project demonstrates the power of design and transitions by combining practice-based design research with interventions that accelerate the transition to participatory healthcare.

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In today’s fast-paced world, stress has become a common challenge, and while digital solutions like apps and wearables offer support, they can paradoxically increase anxiety through screen fatigue and constant notifications. Throughout history, tangible objects such as prayer beads, worry stones, and fidget toys have offered calming, haptic experiences to help people self-soothe.

Building on this tradition, the WarmStone project explores a low-tech, participatory approach to stress relief. Through ceramic-making workshops, participants create personalized “WarmStones”—handheld objects crafted to provide tactile comfort and promote mindfulness in everyday life. By examining the shapes, textures, and uses of these objects, the project aims to inform the design of future haptic tools that support emotional wellbeing.

WarmStone offers an opportunity to design and craft unique ceramic objects that fit naturally into daily life. Participants are guided through the process by professional ceramic artist Jiechen, and are encouraged to create handheld “WarmStones” , small, texture-rich pieces designed to provide calming and self-soothing experiences through touch.

In addition to these fidget-friendly objects, participants also have the chance to create an everyday ceramic item, such as a cup or mug, with personalized textures and designs that reflect their individual tactile preferences.

Project duration

1 Mar 2025 -31 Dec 2025

Project manager

dr Bin Yu

Researchers

prof. dr Somaya Ben Allouch

Students

Zixun Zhou, University of Amsterdam

Funding

Seedmoney of the Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation (CoECI)

Partners

• University of Amsterdam Digital Interaction Group
• Studio Boey
• Studio JieChen

Work-related chronic stress is often ignored in our busy workday life, but it has been increasingly causing severe health problems and raising the public cost for stress-related. diseases. Biofeedback technique enables individuals to see inside their body and self-regulate their physiology in a healthy direction. It has been widely considered to be effective in chronic stress management but has long been limited to clinical settings, requiring support from doctors, on-screen interactions, and intrusive sensors worn by users.

This project aims to develop ‘HeartSpace’, an immersive biofeedback system helping individuals reduce stress. HeartSpace couples the user’s physiological data with digital interactive elements, including projections, sounds, and lighting, to create a virtual reality within a physical space.

Within HeartSpace, we explore the design of diverse MR experiences, such as the sensation of floating on clouds or flying through mountain valleys, to evoke relaxation. The user’s first-person perspective of the visual environment and soundscape are controlled by the user’s heart rate variability as a form of biofeedback, guiding the users to achieve deep relaxation through self-regulation.

As a research probe, HeartSpace explores how a physiology-driven environment can support individuals in reconnecting with their bodies to enhance health and well-being.

Project duration

1 Mar 2025 -31 Dec 2025

Project manager

Stephanie Kramer MSc

Researchers

• prof. dr Somaya Ben Allouch
• dr Bin Yu
• Jaap Evenhuis, docent-onderzoeker CMD (HvA)
• Bart-Jan Steerenberg, docent-onderzoeker CMD (HvA)
• Immersive Lab Faculteit DMCI (HvA)

Funding

Zaaigelden Centre of Expertise Creative Innovation (CoECI)

Partners

• Institute of Creativity (TIOC)