Usability Accessibility And Ambient Assisted Living

Worldwide, the population ageing is a reality. The concept of Active Ageing, adopted by the World Health Organization, aims to guarantee quality ageing and appears as a strategy to solve this demographic challenge. The technological solutions might have a key role in the promotion of human functioning and in the mitigation of disabilities, particularly those resulting from the natural ageing process. This perspective is evident in the development of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) solutions. In this context, it is relevant to know about the recent developments in AAL and discuss future trends and challenges in this area. One of the objectives of this book is to do a systematic literature review on AAL, not only considering the technology used, but also the health condition that is intended to improve. For this purpose, we consider the human functioning, in particular the conceptual model of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Considering that the ICF conceptual framework is accepted within the healthcare domain, the use of its concepts and terminologies to promote multidisciplinary approaches for AAL solutions development processes can help to overcome difficulties of communication between users, careers and technological developers. AAL solutions must consider in their development the needs of the person that will use AAL solutions. The development must be user-centred and usability questions cannot be forgotten. In addition, the acceptance of the AAL solutions is closely related to the quality of the systems, so it is necessary to appropriately assess these solutions.

This is a broad introductory handbook, covering the major technologies and applications in Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). The book focuses on current state-of-the-art technology and critical analysis, the applications of these technologies and also includes general issues such as usability, accessibility, privacy and ethics.

This book provides state-of-the-art information on ambient assisted living (AAL), and focuses on technologies, services, living spaces, policies, and interventions to promote health, improve quality of life, and active aging. It includes various research contributions, case studies, and projects where assistive technologies are successfully applied in the field, and it covers a wide range of topics: Tailoring products and services to the Aging society, Bio-data and Artificial sensing AAL scenarios, Cognition, and Technologies, and Designing for Inclusion and Well-Being. The volume gathers the refereed proceedings of the 11th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), ForItAAL2020. This annual event involves companies, researchers, and stakeholders involved in the field of Ambient Assisted Living, it took place online due to the pandemic situation of Covid-19, and was organized by the University of Padua through the Human Inspired Technologies Research Centre and the Regional Innovative Network “ICT for Smart and Sustainable Living” with the contribution of the Smart Living Technologies’ Cluster. With its wide-ranging contributions to the topic, the book will inspire the readers and the researchers to continue their exploration of AAL technologies to support the development of products and services that make a real difference in people’s daily lives.

As the use of remote work has recently skyrocketed, digital transformation within the workplace has gone under a microscope, and it has become abundantly clear that the incorporation of new technologies in the workplace is the future of business. These technologies keep businesses up to date with their capabilities to perform remote work and make processes more efficient and effective than ever before. In understanding digital transformation in the workplace there needs to be advanced research on technology, organizational change, and the impacts of remote work on the business, the employees, and day-to-day work practices. This advancement to a digital work culture and remote work is rapidly undergoing major advancements, and research is needed to keep up with both the positives and negatives to this transformation. The Research Anthology on Digital Transformation, Organizational Change, and the Impact of Remote Work contains hand-selected, previously published research that explores the impacts of remote work on business workplaces while also focusing on digital transformation for improving the efficiency of work. While highlighting work technologies, digital practices, business management, organizational change, and the effects of remote work on employees, this book is an all-encompassing research work intended for managers, business owners, IT specialists, executives, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in how digital transformation and remote work is affecting workplaces.

Due to its versatility and accessibility, individuals all around the world routinely use various forms of technology to interact with one another. Over the years, the design and development of technologies and interfaces have increasingly aimed to improve the human-computer interactive experience in unimaginable ways. The Handbook of Research on Human-Computer Interfaces and New Modes of Interactivity is a collection of innovative research on the methods and applications of interactive technologies in the modern age. Highlighting topics including digital environments, sensory applications, and transmedia applications, this book is ideally designed for academicians, researchers, HCI developers, programmers, IT consultants, and media specialists seeking current research on the design, application, and advancement of different media technologies and interfaces that can support interaction across a wide range of users.

Assistive Technology (AT) is an umbrella term indicating any product or technology-based service that enables people of all ages with activity limitations in their daily life, education, work or leisure. It is a highly interdisciplinary field, encompassing research, development, manufacture, supply, provision and policy. This book presents the proceedings of the 12th biennial European conference of the Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe, AAATE 2013, held in Vilamoura, Portugal, in September 2013. The full papers included here cover a diverse range of subjects, including: ageing, disability and technology; accessibility in Europe; ambient assisted living; AT and Cloud computing; communication access for all; monitoring and telecare; and user perspective, to name but a few. The aim of the AAATE conference is to promote a more effective dialogue between manufacturers, researchers, developers, professionals and end users, and this book will be of interest to all those directly or indirectly involved in the field of AT.

This book documents the state of the art in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL), highlighting the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies to enhance well-being and promote active ageing. The coverage is wide ranging, with sections on care models and algorithms, enabling technologies and assistive solutions, elderly people monitoring, home rehabilitation, ICT solutions for AAL, living with chronic conditions, robotic assistance for the elderly, sensing technologies for AAL, and smart housing. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the 9th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForitAAL 2018), which was held in Lecce, Italy, in July 2018 and brought together end users, technology teams, and policy makers to develop a consensus on how to improve provision for elderly and impaired people. Readers will find that the expert contributions offer clear insights into the ways in which the most recent exciting advances may be expected to assist in addressing the needs of the elderly and those with chronic conditions.

Continuous improvements in technological applications have allowed more opportunities to develop systems with user-focused designs. This not only leads to higher success in day-to-day usage, but it increases the overall probability of technology adoption. Design Solutions for User-Centric Information Systems provides a comprehensive examination of the latest strategies and methods for creating technological systems with end users as the focal point of the design process. Highlighting innovative practices and applications across a variety of areas, such as cloud-based computing services, e-government adoption, and logistics evaluation, this book is an ideal reference source for computer engineers, practitioners, project managers, graduate students, and researchers interested in the enhancement of user-centric information system development.