New Artificial Intelligence System Helps Senior
Citizens Avoid Forgetting Things
This system uses sensors distributed in the
environment to detect actions of elderly and mobile devices which remind
them of things to do
Aug. 27, 2009 - An elderly lady is about to go to
bed. She goes into her room, sits down on the bed, takes off her
slippers and turns off the light. Suddenly, before getting into bed, a
small alarm goes off and a mobile device reminds her that she has not
taken her tablets. Thats one example of how a new system of artificial
intelligence can help senior citizens remember everyday tasks.
A team of researchers from the University of
Granada (UGR) has created the system which notifies elderly people, or
people with special needs, of the forgetting of certain everyday tasks.
This system uses sensors distributed in the
environment in order to detect their actions and mobile devices which
remind them, for example, to take their keys before they leave home.
This is how the new intelligent system developed by
researchers from the Department of Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence of the UGR works. Marνa Ros Izquierdo is from the Higher
Technical School of Computer Engineering of the UGR and the co-author of
a study which is published this month in the Expert Systems with
Applications magazine.
"It is a prototype which, in a non-intrusive
manner, facilitates the control of the activity of people with special
needs and increases their independence", she explained to SINC.
The system recognizes the everyday actions of the
users by means of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) labels. These
labels are discreetly placed on the objects that the individuals touch
most often, in such a way that, when they do so, a signal is sent to a
computer or mobile device situated in the house itself or at an
assistance centre some distance away.
The activities of the people are assessed with
Artificial Intelligence techniques (data mining and formal grammar) in
order to compile a list of actions such as remembering to take the keys
or the mobile phone before leaving home. "It is not necessary to use
cameras or microphones, and the devices which are used do not entail any
technological complications for users, nor do they modify their daily
routines", clarified Ros.
In order to evaluate the system, the scientists
have designed a Tagged World, an intelligent space which simulates the
rooms of a house, with sensors embedded in the environment which help to
recognize the behavior of its occupants.
The researchers monitored each user so as to obtain
an individualized database. They later verified with a test the
reliability of the system and the degree of intrusion felt by the
participants.
"The system does not modify the life of the users,
but does positively modify that of the people who look after them",
indicated Ros, who recalled that elderly people and those with special
needs often reject the aid of others and demand more independence. The
new system may help to achieve this objective.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Aug. 27, 2009 - An elderly lady is about to go to
bed. She goes into her room, sits down on the bed, takes off her
slippers and turns off the light. Suddenly, before getting into bed, a
small alarm goes off and a mobile device reminds her that she has not
taken her tablets. Thats one example of how a new system of artificial
intelligence can help senior citizens remember everyday tasks.
