Grguric Ericsson Nikola Tesla D.D
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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268177877 ICT towards elderly independent living Article CITATIONS READS 17 584 1 author: Andrej Grguric Ericsson Nikola Tesla d.d. 21 PUBLICATIONS 180 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: universAAL View project New Architecture and Protocols in Converged Telecommunication Networks View project All content following this page was uploaded by Andrej Grguric on 25 February 2015. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. ICT towards elderly independent living Andrej Grguric Research and Development Center Ericsson Nikola Tesla d. d. Krapinska 45, Zagreb, Croatia E-mail: {andrej.grguric}@ericsson.com Due to the current demographic trends and ageing, more and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has more people are living alone and need proper support in their shown the biggest potential in coping with mentioned daily activities. Important role in overcoming problems of people problems. Information systems offer a vast number of living independently have Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) possibilities in reducing the overall healthcare cost but at the technologies. AAL is related to the use of ICT to increase the same time offer many advantages and benefits that have never quality of life of elderly people and to prolong their before been possible. ICT can help not only professionals independence. A number of research efforts deal with specific dealing with medical systems but also to elderly individuals to challenges of the field. In this paper emergence of AAL as a improve their quality of life and to offer them support in research field is described. Some research challenges are stated everyday living. In order to adequately cope with the specific with special focus on user interaction, adaptation and problems of the elderly people a special requirements have to customization aspects. be met and special technologies used. There is a whole Keywords -- Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), Ambient Intelligence technology approach tackling with the issues of how the ICT (AmI), user interaction can best support the elderly and enable them to live independently longer and to have better quality of life and it is I. INTRODUCTION called Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). Projections of future demographic trends show that ratio of The following section gives an overview of AAL. Section working-age people per person aged over 65 is reducing and III describes its challenges and research directions while that by 2045 in Europe there will be only two people of section IV focuses on user interaction aspects. Section V working age per person aged over 65. Figure 1 shows concludes and gives insight on future work. population by age class for EU27 where we can see a II. EMERGENCE OF AAL significant increase of older people in recent years. A. Enabling technologies Mark Weiser first mentioned “ubiquitous computing” around 1988 while working as Chief Technologist of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. He said that “The most profound technologies are those that disappear.” [2]. A trend towards miniaturization of both sensors and computing technologies makes this vision a reality and enables effective observing of people’s activities. Many believe that after main frame and personal computer ubiquitous computing is the next generation of computing systems. Figure 1 Population by age class, EU-27 [1] As this is an enormous research field many approaches Although we often imagine and wish that older people exist. In Table 1 a simplistic viewpoint on different visions of retire in carefree environments the truth is that in more and the domain is shown where it can be seen that in Europe more cases they retire far from their loved ones and Ambient Intelligence (AmI) phrase is preferred. appropriate care centers. To live independently they need TABLE 1 DIFFERENT VISIONS OF THE DOMAIN appropriate care in their homes. The fact that they often suffer from some illness further emphasizes the need for providing Key phrase Origin Emphasizes them with proper support in everyday life. This ageing Ubiquitous United States Computing/processing aspect process drives social and economic changes since it presents a computing huge burden on national economies and healthcare systems. Ubiquitous Japan and Transmission/bandwidth Cost-reduction and efficiency of the healthcare system thus networking Korea aspect became one of the imperatives of the countries around the Ambient Europe Human interface aspect world. intelligence The next challenge being on proper interpretation and to promote healthier way of life, utilization of the vast amount of data coming from different to improve living standards, sources in order to track and predict behaviors of people leads to prevent social isolation and maintaining social to the Ambient Intelligence paradigm. One of the definitions network around the individual, of AmI is that it is “a digital environment that proactively, to support informal (family members, friends, etc.) but sensibly, supports people in daily lives” [3]. In a report of and formal (doctors, care organizations, etc.) the Information Society Technologies Advisory Group caregivers, (ISTAG) of the European Commission four scenarios that to reduce costs in healthcare, illustrate daily life and work around year 2010 [4] are given. to offer new business models that will facilitate In this report EU charts a path for AmI research. cooperation between device manufacturers, Ambient Intelligence goes beyond aforementioned developers, service providers and other interested ubiquitous (also known as pervasive) computing by parties, addressing the users and their experience and expectations to offer common (software and hardware) platforms from the devices surrounding them. It provides intelligence in that will fulfill expectations and enable easy computer supported environments. The idea of AmI is that development and deployment of AAL solutions, environment should adapt to the inhabitant(s) and not the to increase efficiency of resources in ageing society. other way around. The advancements in this area are greatly facilitated by ever increasing number of different networked- C. Europe Support for AAL intelligent devices and progress in the semiconductor The Ambient Assisted Living Joint Program involves 20 industry. Five key technological requirements for AmI EU countries1 and 3 non-EU countries2 and supports: according to ISTAG [4] are: a) technological research, demonstration and 1. Very unobtrusive hardware, dissemination activities of trans-national (short to 2. A seamless mobile/fixed communications medium term) projects, and infrastructure, b) brokerage, programme promotion and networking 3. Dynamic and massively distributed device activities. networks, Planned investments in research and innovation for ageing 4. Natural feeling human interfaces, 3 5. Dependability and security. well are more than 1 billion EUR till year 2013. Additional Many buzzwords and often competing catchphrases contributors in this field are also European Research Council surround AmI evolution: calm technology, (ERC) [23] with its subthemes that cover active ageing issues ubiquitous/pervasive/proactive/ambient computing, smart and national and regional R&D funding programmes. spaces, Internet of things, Internet of devices, Web of things, Furthermore, new initiatives such as EU’s European Things that think, invisible/disappearing computer, supranet, Innovation Partnership and its pilot on Active and Healthy object hyperlinking to mention only a few. Most frequent Ageing (EIP AHA)4 [20] are continuing to emerge. EU has viewpoint on this (r)evolution refers, however, mainly to even declared 2012 as the European Year on Active Ageing information processing and storage, highlighting the and Solidarity between Generations [21]. importance of distribution. Although European Commission is not part of the implementation structures it contributes with a substantial B. Definition of AAL financial support granted on the basis of article 185 of the EU Term “Ambient Assisted Living” entered the public with Treaty (former article 169). identically named Framework Program (FP) 6 funded support Because of the growing cost of supporting increasingly action that developed scope, procedures and legal basis of the aged population EU’s AAL initiative (under 7th Framework AAL Joint Programme from September 2004 [18]. The scope Program) extending for 2008-2013 period, envisages use of of AAL was further defined within European Action Plan on Ageing Well in the Information Society [22] (adopted by the 1 Namely: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, European Commission in 2007) which stated: Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, FP7 as the home for research project funding, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. 2 Namely: Israel, Norway and Switzerland. AAL Joint Programme for development projects, 3 €600 million in the AAL Joint Programme, an expected €400 million in and FP7 and (till January 2011) more than €50 million on large scale pilot the ICT Policy Support Programme for funding projects in the EU's ICT Policy Support Programme. deployment activities. 4 EIP AHA emerged in February 2011 aiming to increase average healthy The idea of AAL is: lifespan in the EU by 2 years by 2020. The idea is to bring together to extend