The Istituto Auxologico Italiano (AUXO) (http://www.auxologico.it/) is a scientific institute, which was born as a Foundation in 1963. Its biomedical research is carried out mainly by means of the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, which undermine harmonious psycho physical development, in relation to which it follows the course of various diseases over time and intervenes in terms of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. In 1972, it was recognized by the Ministry of Health and by the Ministry for Universities and Scientific and Technological Research as an "Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico - I.R.C.C.S." (an institutes that carries out research and care activities in the biomedical field).
The AUXO is now a private non-profit making organization, institutionally considered as falling somewhere between a private and public service. It has thus managed to combine the public service characteristics with the efficiency that is typical of private bodies, allowing a reduction in costs and appreciable results at the level of treatment. The AUXO is one of the main Italian research sites, with three main hospitals located in northern Italy. Clinical activity and research
are carried out together, by many independent laboratories, each with its peculiar field of interest.
As a part of the AUXO, the Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab (ATN-P Lab) has started its activity in 1994. In its first decade, the Lab pioneered much of the applications that enabled the diffusion of 3D and Virtual Reality in the field of health care. Specifically, its research work led to the development of a new scientific discipline – Cybertherapy - integrating innovative research ranging from clinical psychology and cognition, to mobile devices and simulation
apparatus. According to ISI Web of Science, the ATN-P Lab. is within the first three labs worldwide for numbers of publications in the field of 3D and Virtual Reality and Ambient Intelligence applied to health care.
Role in the project
AUXO will have a main role in the WP5. AUXO will cooperate with INCLIVA in ordert to demonstrate the results of the project in the health care sector, assessing the impact of components and their usage, by using data collected. AUXO will have a role also in WP1 by defining use cases and design requirements.