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'Interrupted Dreams' is a pioneering research project in Spain to analyse the sleep of homeless people in Valencia using digital sensors. The initiative is being led by the social organisation San Juan de Dios Valencia through its Research and Innovation department and will be developed in collaboration with the Mónica Duart Sleep Foundation and the INGENIO Institute, a joint centre of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). The project has the backing and funding of Valencia City Council through public subsidies for innovation within the framework of Valencia Innovation Capital.

The Interrupted Dreams project will begin with a preliminary study led by sleep specialists from the Experts Committee from the Mónica Duart Foundation, who, together with the INGENIO team (CSIC-UPV), will analyse the variables necessary to include in the digital devices. Subsequently, with the help of the intervention team of the social organisation, digital bracelets will be used on a sample of about 100 homeless people, both those who live in residential resources managed by San Juan de Dios and those who live on the street. Using technology, key data will be monitored and collected to analyse their sleep patterns. Based on this information, tools based on artificial intelligence will be developed to understand the quality of sleep of this group and generate resources that contribute to its improvement.

Isabel Tortajada, director of San Juan de Dios Valencia, explained that 'we are very pleased to be able to develop this pioneering project that addresses a problem of a group that is invisible in our cities. We know that poor sleep quality affects and harms their health, and we want to take advantage of technology to investigate how people sleep on the street or in residential resources'.

San Juan de Dios estimates that there are around 800 people in the city of Valencia who are homeless, either living on the street or in the different resources offered by social organisations. Homeless people suffer high rates of inadequate or poor-quality sleep, with direct effects on their physical and mental health. According to the most recent scientific publications, 70% of homeless adults report frequent sleep problems.

Mónica Duart, president of the Sleep Foundation, defends the universal right to rest, with special attention to people at risk of social exclusion. 'This project is an important step towards making visible an often-ignored problem: the impact of sleep on health. We put innovation at the service of people without homes to find specific and efficient solutions to improve their physical and mental well-being’.

Álvaro Fernández-Baldor, a researcher at INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), highlights the importance of this project because 'it focuses on a group that has been forgotten from a technological point of view'. 'The work that we are going to do at INGENIO has three lines of action: first, the realisation of a series of participatory workshops to design the entire methodology of the study. On the other hand, smart bands or bracelets with sensors will be used to measure the quality of sleep of the study participants and monitor aspects such as hours of sleep, quality, and rest breaks. Finally, we will facilitate the design of a platform where we will upload all the collected data so that it can be analysed by the medical team of the Mónica Duart Foundation'.

For her part, Paula Llobet, Councillor for Innovation at Valencia City Council, has emphasised that 'innovation must be at the service of society and, in particular, of people in vulnerable situations. At Valencia Innovation Capital, we promote projects that combine technology and social impact to improve the citizens' lives. Valencia is at the forefront of innovation with this initiative, applying technological tools to address an invisible but crucial need: the rest of the homeless'.