Prototype of a system based on voice assistants for cognitive stimulation of the elderly.

The population of Europe is getting older and factors such as labor mobility and the low birth rate have increased single-person households. In addition, many older people want to stay at home. For this to be possible, it is necessary to promote active aging policies that slow cognitive decline and help maintain good mental health. In this article we describe a system based on voice assistants (VAs) to improve the physical and mental health of the elderly. The solution proposes different activities to the user and gathers information about the status of the user. Voice assistants are an ideal tool to promote the autonomy of the elderly thanks to their low cost, the multiple possibilities they offer to interact with the user and their ease of use. A preliminary study of the system has been conducted with six users aged between 60 and 93 years. The results show a good predisposition to integrate the solution into their daylife. It has also been verified that regardless of age, all the participants were able to interact with the system and complete the proposed activities.

GPR and ERT detection and characterization of a mass burial, Spanish Civil War, Northern Spain.

Around 27,000 people were killed in the province of Asturias during the Spanish Civil War, with several thousands killed after the war ended. There are currently over 2,000 known mass burial locations throughout Spain, but many more are unknown. Geophysics is a useful tool employed to help in the active attempts to document and improve knowledge about victims from this conflict. This paper details a non-invasive study of the Cementerio de El Salvador, in the city of Oviedo, Northern Spain. Part of the cemetery contains a known mass burial with approximately 1,300 individuals from the Spanish Civil War and post-war repression eras. Multi-frequency near-surface geophysical techniques were undertaken, after permission, to enhance knowledge about which, if any, techniques should be used to detect, delineate and analyse such mass graves. Multi-frequency (250MHz and 500MHz) ground-penetrating radar surveys were acquired together with 2D and 3D Electrical Resistivity Tomography datasets. The results have established the limits of the mass grave and improve the knowledge of the internal mass grave structure. The paper also shows the importance of considering the climatic conditions during data acquisition. This has important implications for the successful detection of recent historical mass burials using near-surface geophysics.

Discovery of a mass grave from the Spanish Civil War using Ground Penetrating Radar and forensic archaeology.

An estimated 500,000 people died from all causes during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939, with a further 135,000 killed after the war ended. There are currently over 2000 known mass burial locations throughout Spain but many more are unknown. This study details the successful search for an unmarked mass grave in mountainous terrain in the Asturias region of Northern Spain. Two approximate locations were known due to eyewitness accounts. A phased site investigation approach was undertaken, which included Ground Penetrating Radar. Results showed a clear geophysical anomaly on 2D GPR profiles. The identified area was subsequently intrusively investigated by forensic archaeologists and human remains were successfully discovered. Careful and sensitive investigations are essential in these approaches where living relatives are involved.