Energy-related behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour) are main modifiable determinants of several non-communicable health conditions, e.g. diabetes type 2, overweight and obesity, and track into adulthood. Promoting these behaviours among youngsters can have great health and societal gains. Meeting recommended levels for these behaviours is especially low among adolescents, girls and those of lower socio-economic status. An intervention to promote energy-related behaviours among adolescents is thus indicated, and may also address social inclusion. Exergames, which require movement to be played, have great yet underused potential to promote these behaviours. To fully utilise this potential, exergames need to promote moderate-to-vigorous physical activity; need to be tailored to the individual user; and need to be more engaging. The SmartLife project aims to create such an exergame. The SmartLife exergame will be: 1) a mobile game requiring lower body movements; 2) combined with a smart textile that provides immediate physiological feedback (e.g. heartrate, respiration) and ensures exercises are performed at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity level; 3) tailored to individual user’s needs, using the smart textile data, and based on available evidence and big data analysis; 4) highly engaging, e.g. by adding a narrative and context information, and using user input throughout the design (‘participatory development’). The project includes extensive testing and dissemination of results. Market analysis will explore commercial business opportunities (e.g. technology-based connected health) and social marketing opportunities (e.g. via schools). The SmartLife project proposes a technological innovation via integration of exergames and smart textiles, to optimally reach the exergaming’s full market potential and effectively address the non-leisure purpose of health promotion among adolescents, as stipulated in the work programme.

The project is part of the European research framework for the application of spatial technologies to the textile design and production, be it for Fashion design, Object design or Interior design. It aims at making students aware of sustainable production of innovative textiles.The students participating in this research project will have the opportunity to become aware of the demands of fields different from their basic training curriculum, to get initiated to research practice, thus developing entrepreneurship and European employability.This project will support the students in primarily developing specific research skills, as well as analysis, synthesis- and communication skills. The pedagogical approach is social-constructivist, with the student at the very core of his/her training.The research will be carried out during transnational and trans-professional meetings, the themes of the workshops organized being “Creativity”, “Feasibility Study” and “Prototyping”. The objectives are allowing the students to follow the step-by-step process of a product until its industrialization and to become aware of the demands inherent in its production. A book will be created during each phase as well as events (symposium, exhibition, etc.).The five partners involved in the project are Créaction of European Spatial Agencies (Luxemburg) associate with Inextenso (ESA France in Lyon), giving access to spatial-industry technologies, and two Higher Education institutions in Fashion design (Belgium/Spain). Each European Spatial Agency will collaborate with the Higher Education Fashion institution closer to its location, so as to increase the creative approach. As a fourth partner and research center for innovative textiles, AITEX will share its competences on the feasibility and prototyping of the project.Through this strategic partnership, a better visibility of the Higher Education partners and also a real added value will be reached. The partnership will give them a new identity as institutions committed in “top innovation and technologies in Europe”, ensuring employability in a new era’s jobs. In this innovative project, the teachers-researchers will transfer their know-how to students and will also maintain their relationships with this project’s partners in order to update their knowledge, and -why not- consider another European North-South partnership.

LEARNINGTEX MOOC aims to support textile companies through employees training and skills updating. A need on the sector has been detected and textile companies demand more experienced and trained workers on topics like woven fabrics and quality control of defects. In this sense, during this project more than 70 OER will be created which will be shaped into a MOOC about woven fabrics and defect detection on woven fabrics.LEARNINGTEX will export the successful work-based learning system of Austria to Spanish and Portuguese companies, countries where this type of education is not so common. The idea to develop a MOOC oriented to work-based learning will contribute conciliating working and family life. The MOOC will be addressed not only for textile outdated employees but also for unexperienced workers who have just finished their studies. The course will be oriented to textile employees and students interested in updating their knowledge about woven fabrics, machinery and the application of new technologies to improve quality control processes and reduce costs. The course will consist of 2 parts strongly oriented to the sector and target group’s needs; both based on an innovative methodology developing OER shaped into a MOOC. The first part will be focused on woven fabrics’ OER structured into sections, lessons and tests to evaluate the learning process and the second will be OER about advanced processes of quality control and defect detection in woven fabrics.The novelty and innovative aspects of LEARNINGTEX will concentrate on the exclusive textile approach and the unique and original methodology of the Work Based MOOC. Another innovative aspect will be the open and flexible learning methodology, fully exploring the potential of MOOCs to improve education, training and WBL systems, aligning them with the current digital world.The textile industry requires technical staff with new and updated skills able to use new machines, equipment and with wider knowledge of the textile processes. For this reason this project proposes a MOOC which helps companies to have more qualified staff and hire new employees with updated skills. LEARNINGTEX promotes flexibility and adaptability combined with active work, satisfaction and motivation for the trainees by means of a MOOC on an e-learning platform conciliating social and family life. This will help to have a close relationship with work life, adapting to the needs of on-going training and self-learning in the labor market improving student management strategies and promoting companies competition and internationalization. In terms of impact, students of LEARNINGTEX will enjoy a richer collaborative experience, through MOOC with OER of the project avoiding some of the growing limitations of traditional classes, such as the lack of enough work area, expensive instrumentation, lack of personnel, time assigned to the course, and their availability in non-working office hours. Teachers will enjoy a reliable remote MOOC system that presents learning resources for an educational process, that is characterized with providing just-in-time, just enough and at the point of need support to learners in order to deal with complex authentic tasks in the context of problem-based learning. Finally, textile companies will benefit providing its workers with an effective MOOC to update their skills conciliating working and family life. Companies will take advance of LEARNINGTEX having and promoting high quality products with great added value. This will help them to compete against third countries. To summarize, this project contributes to a Europe of Knowledge through the development of new learning approaches (combining WBL, MOOC and OER) using innovative ICT technologies that allow streaming attendance to the course. LEARNINGTEX will use modern learning systems and methodologies that support and promote lifelong learning plus the acquisition of knowledge and skills to enhance companies’ competitiveness while reducing unemployment rates. LEARNINGTEX supports the creation of an information society training and exchanging knowledge in Europe developing a MOOC about textile technology, woven fabrics and defect detection on woven fabrics.