ICT
The ICT ecosystem that exists nowadays has almost endless capabilities, and using the technology we have available to address the pressing issues of ageing, health and inclusion is a logical step. However, bridging the gap between technological research advances and the practical needs of elderly people can be a challenge, and so FP7 project USEFIL is addressing this problem by developing advanced but affordable in-home monitoring and web communication solutions
members, and in turn makes the family more relaxed as they can see that the person they are looking out for, be it
grandparent, is doing something. “The automatic mode takes this a step
further. Using hardware such as the X-Box Kinect as data input devices,
information
about what the user is doing can be retrieved automatically.
This will allow elderly
behavioural indicators for problems such as cognitive decline or geriatric depression to be spotted as well as the general monitoring of day-to-day well-being. The smart watch can also help here, giving information about the location and activities of the user.” A smart TV can also be used as an interface,
Bridging the gap
Consistently low birth rates and higher life
expectancy are transforming the
population structure of the EU, with the proportion of over-65s having increased by nearly four percent over the last twenty years. The total number of seniors living alone is also rising, which has led to increased demands placed on society’s care and medical services. Although ICT technologies can increase safety, independence
and quality of life for
elderly people while staying at home, the adoption rates of such advancements show that these are still undesired by the majority of the population. The FP7-funded USEFIL – Unobtrusive
Smart Environments for Independent Living – project aims to address this gap between technological research advances and the practical needs of
elderly people by
developing advanced but affordable in-home monitoring
and web communication
solutions. USEFIL intends to use low cost “off-the-shelf” technology to develop immediately applicable assist
services the elderly in maintaining
that will their
independence and daily activities. “Many of the ideas that we are working
with are not necessarily new,” says project coordinator Dr Homer Papadopoulos. “There have been many European projects that have
36 tried to address the issue of bringing
technology into the realm of in-home care for the elderly, but we have rarely seen this translate into a widely adopted product. What we want to do is to make sure that at the end of the project we have created something which is operational, and that you can buy in a store.” The USEFIL project will develop a holistic
“platform” consisting of a number of systems and modules. These include a smart watch capable of
recognising daily activities,
household objects such as mirrors equipped with low cost wireless video cameras for monitoring
emotional and physiological
parameters, a tablet pc, a smart web TV device and others. The majority of
these
devices are not being created by the project, as it is instead exploiting existent technology within the ICT ecosystem to benefit elderly. All of
the these systems are
interconnected, so for example the smart watch can be used as an easy and safe way to login to the TV. “The application on the tablet has two
different modes: manual and automatic,” explains Papadopoulos. “The manual mode involves the user changing the status to things such as eating, reading or relaxing. This
helps to make them feel more comfortable and connected with family
and within two years the technology for both the tablet and smart TV will be the same. “Tablets can be purchased for around €150, making them a very low cost option,” says Papadopoulos. “Smart TVs are still relatively expensive, but we are expecting to see much more affordable models being made available this year.” One of the challenges facing the project the development of a “smart”
concerns
mirror that uses an inexpensive web camera equipped with microphone and can assist in assessing the physiological, emotional and functional state of the monitored user. The physiological signs include heart rate, breathing rate, color paleness and pupil size among the others. Their emotional state will be accessed initially via face analysis and in stage two via voice analysis. Those involved in the USEFIL project
have been careful to be sensitive regarding the privacy of the elderly people. No video, audio or personal data will leave the house; only fused data will be transmitted and saved in the cloud. This approach - to temporarily store data within the house, analyse it and then fuse it – ensures that the data being transmitted has high confidence value and will provide carers and doctors with crucial information. Because the system will be “software
driven,” based on open source platforms, applications
can be of services easily offered. added or
subtracted with no real limit to the overall number
intends to provide guidelines community of
USEFIL for the
technology developers to
optimise future generation of applications for an ageing population.
Insight Publishers | Projects their parent or
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