Disabled and elderly benefit from IT
The disabled and elderly remain two population groups least connected with the new Information Age. Yet there is much that these groups could benefit from. An IT specialist from Spain, Eptron, led an Information Society Technologies (IST) project that aimed to use IT to improve the quality of life of the disabled and elderly. Eptron and its seven partners exploited the up and coming digital television platform to provide living-assistance services. The system is based on client-server architecture and encompasses three entities: the end user, a care provider (referred to as a social assistant) and a control post operator. The services provided are driven by task-oriented intelligent software agents that operate autonomously in the background. A key feature of the system is the ease with which the end user interacts with it. The hardware includes a television set and a remote control that are supplemented by a digital encoder. The primary services include: communications, entertainment, education and alarms. An optional web camera allows for video monitoring, videoconferencing and other video-based services. Europe's aging population ensures a growing market for this system and the services it provides. Eptron also believes it could be modified to address other needs and application areas. Results of the demonstration are available to parties interested in collaborating with Eptron to further the commercial development of the system.