Hi ... this is the webpage of the games Social Tech Booster

"A group that uses technology to create smiles!"

The games Social Tech Booster is being created, within Robotic & Industrial Complex Systems group, with the aim of boosting the usage of technology in social causes. Namely, in a first stage, the focus will be children and young teenagers with growth handicaps and the gSTB will try to conceive information systems / digital games that promote their growth, reducing the existing "differences" and, above all, try to make these digital games reach a large scale of "end users".

Latest and Next events ...

In this block you will find the latest info somwhow related with the gSTB ... as well as events related to the area

The Problem

There are children and young teenagers suffering from distinct growth issues, like autism, hyperactivity, attention deficit, Dawn syndrome, hearing deficit, etc. Along time, the society has created several care structures for people with these and other pathologies. These structures arecalled Social Intervention Organizations (SOIs) in the STB context. Some examples of these organizations are:

These organizations are made up of professionals such as doctors, therapists, special education technicians, sociologists or pedagogues, among other specialities, who carry out their mission in society. However, these structures do NOT have Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) professionals dedicated to the development of new systems or solutions that support the therapeutics carried out.

There are, however, already several initiatives (in particular through partnerships with Universities, Polytechnics or Research Centres) that address some of these problems, developing systems for solving particular issues.

Existing Initiatives

The role that Universities, Polytechnics and Research Centers have played in this context has presented several results in different areas of knowledge, both in theoretical proposals and in practical solutions. Many of these initiatives take the form of collaboration with the aforementioned Social Intervention Organizations and are materialized in systems resulting from the work of finalist students who apply their knowledge and the guidance of the involved professor, making use of their Energy and Creativity, for the production of prototypes that serve as proof of concept for their master's or doctoral dissertations.

Usualy the results of these works are:

  • A working prototype developed by the student
  • The document / dissertation from the Student
  • A commonly accepted general appreciation of the work done

However, usually these (lab)-works correspond to the terminus of students' course and they move on to the next phase of their lives, looking for a job. As a result, the prototypes that had been so lauded end up not having continued use as they become "orphans". In other words, if their use is not supported, let alone the capacity to develop new versions, the systems do not reach their target users on a large scale, as one would wish.

The gSTB idea is to try to prevent the outcome of these partnerships to "go to the shelf"!

The STB Idea

The idea is to build up am enterprise like DNA structure that supports and boosts the interaction between Universities and the Social Intervention Organizations (SOI).

In other words, on one hand side, the Social Intervention Organizations (SOI) identify the needs they have in the creation of new systems for the support of their therapeutic practices. On the other hand side, the Universities do provide these topics for theiur finalist students towards being selected as their final course lab-work.

Por outras palavras, de um lado as Organizações de Intervenção Social identificam as necessidades que têm de criação de novos sistemas para o auxílio das suas práticas sociais (terapêuticas, ensino ou outras). Por outro lado, as Universidades disponibilizam esses temas aos seus alunos para realização dos seus trabalhos de fim de curso.
The game Social Tech Booster role starts at this moment. After these final course labworks have been completed, the gSTB tryes to hire these students so they can join the gSTB team with the aim of moving their work to the next stage - the Market. In other words ...

...trying to guarantee that their final course lab-work do reach the end-users in a large scale.

The of the games Social Tech Booster is to start the work based on funding and progressively become self-sustaining as more digital games / products reach the market.

The Team

... both in the recent past and in the present, much has already happened and many people have made their contribution to the gSTB initiative. Thank you ALL!

2013 / 14
2014 / 15
2015 / 16
2016 / 17
2017 / 18

STB operation

... talking about operation , the process of the gSTB projects is divided into 4 stages:

  1. The needs are identified within the Social Intervention Organizations. The result is a macro definition of a digital game to be developed.

  2. Finalist students develop a prototype digital game as their Final graduation lab-work, e.g.l, the master degree dissertation.

  3. The gSTB hires some of these (ex-)students towards moving their work "to the next level", towards reaching a large scale of usage.

  4. With the help of partner enterprises, the prototypes that were transformed into products reach the last stage of the process - the market.

    Com recurso a empresas parceiras a identificar, os protótipos transformados em produtos são então colocados no mercado na última fase do processo.

STB. Projects

Here we list the projects developed or under development in gSTB research group.

"Centro Diferenças" was the first to collaborate with gSTB. Several games have already been developed.

"Center of Excellence in the field of Child Development, "Centro Diferenças" gathers the Doctors and Professionals of different areas that stand out at national level for their technical capacities and scientific knowledge."

"Pais em Rede" association has started working with gSTB in 2016, in the "Book's game" project.

It is an organization with the status of "Non-Governmental Organization for People with Disabilities" (NGDO). It is made up of a network of nuclei and aims to promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities and their families, focusing in active citizenship. "

The relation between APSA (Associação Portuguêsa de Síndrome de Asperger) and gSTB started in 2016.

"The APSA - Portuguese Association of Asperger Syndrome is a private non-profit institution of Social Solidarity (IPSS), born in Lisbon on November 7, 2003, at the wish of a group of parents. People of all ages and their families at national level. "

Cooperative Focus and gSTB started to work together in 2016 with the development of "Mobile and Incremental Communication System for mobile devices"

"FOCUS is a Social Solidarity Cooperative, similar to IPSS, with a national scope, whose mission is to be the specialist in offering individualized life projects to individuals with Global Developmental Disorders and Autism Spectrum (P.G.D.E.A.)."