Periodic Reporting for period 2 - visuAAL (Privacy-Aware and Acceptable Video-Based Technologies and Services for Active and Assisted Living)
Período documentado: 2022-09-01 hasta 2025-02-28
The visuAAL project set out to address a key challenge in ageing societies: how to help older adults live independently and safely using advanced video-based technologies, while fully respecting their privacy and tackling ethical, legal, and social concerns. Although video-based Active and Assisted Living (AAL) technologies can provide valuable real-time support, their adoption has been limited by worries about privacy, trust, and data protection, as well as uncertainty over how to make these systems acceptable to people from different backgrounds.
This issue is highly significant for society because it concerns the dignity, independence, and safety of older adults—values central to inclusive communities. If not addressed, barriers to adopting these technologies could mean missed opportunities to improve quality of life for older people, ease the burden on caregivers, and make better use of healthcare resources. At the same time, it is vital that technological solutions do not compromise fundamental rights such as privacy and autonomy. By making video-based monitoring both effective and privacy-aware, visuAAL helps build trust in digital health innovations and ensures technological progress benefits everyone, including vulnerable groups.
The main goal of visuAAL was to bridge the gap between what users need and expect from video-based AAL technologies and what is technically and legally possible. To achieve this, the project united experts from computer science, engineering, healthcare, law, business, and social sciences, as well as older adults, caregivers, and policy makers, to collaboratively address the challenge. The specific objectives included analysing user acceptance across different cultures and backgrounds, examining ethical and legal issues, developing privacy-aware algorithms and systems, raising awareness among stakeholders, training a new generation of researchers, and strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, and public services
Over the course of the project, visuAAL made strong progress towards its goals. The team produced extensive research on user acceptance, ethical and legal frameworks, and technical solutions for privacy-aware monitoring. This included in-depth studies with older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to better understand their concerns and preferences, as well as the development of innovative privacy-by-design technologies that adapt to different contexts and user needs. The project also created and shared valuable datasets, published widely in scientific journals, and actively engaged with stakeholders through conferences, workshops, and public events.
A key achievement of the visuAAL project has been the comprehensive training of a cohort of highly skilled early-stage researchers, now well equipped to drive further innovation in privacy-aware video-based technologies for AAL. Through a strong programme of interdisciplinary research, specialist courses, secondments, and transferable skills training, these researchers gained expertise in technical, ethical, legal, and user-centred aspects of AAL solutions.
This issue is highly significant for society because it concerns the dignity, independence, and safety of older adults—values central to inclusive communities. If not addressed, barriers to adopting these technologies could mean missed opportunities to improve quality of life for older people, ease the burden on caregivers, and make better use of healthcare resources. At the same time, it is vital that technological solutions do not compromise fundamental rights such as privacy and autonomy. By making video-based monitoring both effective and privacy-aware, visuAAL helps build trust in digital health innovations and ensures technological progress benefits everyone, including vulnerable groups.
The main goal of visuAAL was to bridge the gap between what users need and expect from video-based AAL technologies and what is technically and legally possible. To achieve this, the project united experts from computer science, engineering, healthcare, law, business, and social sciences, as well as older adults, caregivers, and policy makers, to collaboratively address the challenge. The specific objectives included analysing user acceptance across different cultures and backgrounds, examining ethical and legal issues, developing privacy-aware algorithms and systems, raising awareness among stakeholders, training a new generation of researchers, and strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, and public services
Over the course of the project, visuAAL made strong progress towards its goals. The team produced extensive research on user acceptance, ethical and legal frameworks, and technical solutions for privacy-aware monitoring. This included in-depth studies with older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to better understand their concerns and preferences, as well as the development of innovative privacy-by-design technologies that adapt to different contexts and user needs. The project also created and shared valuable datasets, published widely in scientific journals, and actively engaged with stakeholders through conferences, workshops, and public events.
A key achievement of the visuAAL project has been the comprehensive training of a cohort of highly skilled early-stage researchers, now well equipped to drive further innovation in privacy-aware video-based technologies for AAL. Through a strong programme of interdisciplinary research, specialist courses, secondments, and transferable skills training, these researchers gained expertise in technical, ethical, legal, and user-centred aspects of AAL solutions.
The visuAAL project has delivered several important results that advance privacy-aware video-based technologies for AAL. One of the main achievements is a comprehensive understanding of user acceptance, gained through research with older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. This work identified key barriers, such as privacy concerns and trust, as well as factors that support wider adoption, helping to inform the design of solutions that are both effective and acceptable.
Another significant outcome is the development of robust legal and ethical frameworks to guide the responsible use of video-based monitoring. visuAAL produced guidelines and analyses on data protection, ethical principles, and fairness, supporting compliance with regulations like the GDPR and the protection of fundamental rights.
On the technological side, the project delivered innovative privacy-aware algorithms and systems, including privacy-by-design and privacy-by-context approaches, as well as the use of depth maps and omnidirectional cameras. These solutions were validated in both laboratory and real-world settings, often with direct input from end users.
visuAAL has also made a strong commitment to open science, publishing over 65 scientific papers and releasing several high-quality datasets to the public. These resources support the wider research community, foster transparency, and enable reproducibility.
Stakeholder engagement has been central to visuAAL’s approach. Through events, media coverage, and collaborations with other projects, visuAAL has reached a broad audience, raising awareness and stimulating debate on privacy and technology in AAL.
Finally, visuAAL has taken concrete steps towards exploiting its research outputs. Initiatives like the creation of a start-up show how project results are being developed into real-world products and services aimed at improving care while respecting privacy. Dissemination activities, including a widely visited project website, open-access resources, and active participation in conferences and media, have ensured that the project’s impact extends across the scientific community and society at large.
Another significant outcome is the development of robust legal and ethical frameworks to guide the responsible use of video-based monitoring. visuAAL produced guidelines and analyses on data protection, ethical principles, and fairness, supporting compliance with regulations like the GDPR and the protection of fundamental rights.
On the technological side, the project delivered innovative privacy-aware algorithms and systems, including privacy-by-design and privacy-by-context approaches, as well as the use of depth maps and omnidirectional cameras. These solutions were validated in both laboratory and real-world settings, often with direct input from end users.
visuAAL has also made a strong commitment to open science, publishing over 65 scientific papers and releasing several high-quality datasets to the public. These resources support the wider research community, foster transparency, and enable reproducibility.
Stakeholder engagement has been central to visuAAL’s approach. Through events, media coverage, and collaborations with other projects, visuAAL has reached a broad audience, raising awareness and stimulating debate on privacy and technology in AAL.
Finally, visuAAL has taken concrete steps towards exploiting its research outputs. Initiatives like the creation of a start-up show how project results are being developed into real-world products and services aimed at improving care while respecting privacy. Dissemination activities, including a widely visited project website, open-access resources, and active participation in conferences and media, have ensured that the project’s impact extends across the scientific community and society at large.
At the outset, visuAAL identified that, despite the promise of video-based systems to improve care for older adults, their adoption was hindered by concerns over privacy, ethics, legal compliance, and user acceptance. To address these challenges, visuAAL adopted a transdisciplinary approach, blending technical innovation with in-depth analysis of societal, legal, and ethical issues.
The project advanced the state of the art in several ways. It provided a nuanced understanding of how older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals perceive and accept video-based AAL technologies, using empirical research such as interviews and surveys across diverse European contexts. visuAAL also developed and validated new privacy-by-design and privacy-by-context frameworks, introducing solutions like depth maps, omnidirectional cameras, and advanced algorithms that adapt privacy measures to context without compromising care and safety.
In addition, visuAAL delivered comprehensive legal and ethical analyses, clarifying how data protection laws such as the GDPR apply to AAL technologies and offering practical guidelines for responsible innovation. These efforts help navigate the complex regulatory landscape and support future developers and policymakers.
The socio-economic impact of visuAAL is substantial. By enabling privacy-aware video monitoring, the project helps older adults remain independent longer, improves their quality of life, and eases the burden on families and healthcare systems. visuAAL’s work also supports the “Silver Economy” by creating opportunities for new products and services, with clear pathways from research to market, including start-up development.
Societally, visuAAL bridges the gap between technological capability and public acceptability, demonstrating that it is possible to design systems that respect individual rights and foster trust. By emphasising stakeholder engagement and co-design, visuAAL ensures that older adults and end users are central to the development process, resulting in solutions that are both accepted and genuinely responsive to users’ needs.
The project advanced the state of the art in several ways. It provided a nuanced understanding of how older adults, caregivers, and healthcare professionals perceive and accept video-based AAL technologies, using empirical research such as interviews and surveys across diverse European contexts. visuAAL also developed and validated new privacy-by-design and privacy-by-context frameworks, introducing solutions like depth maps, omnidirectional cameras, and advanced algorithms that adapt privacy measures to context without compromising care and safety.
In addition, visuAAL delivered comprehensive legal and ethical analyses, clarifying how data protection laws such as the GDPR apply to AAL technologies and offering practical guidelines for responsible innovation. These efforts help navigate the complex regulatory landscape and support future developers and policymakers.
The socio-economic impact of visuAAL is substantial. By enabling privacy-aware video monitoring, the project helps older adults remain independent longer, improves their quality of life, and eases the burden on families and healthcare systems. visuAAL’s work also supports the “Silver Economy” by creating opportunities for new products and services, with clear pathways from research to market, including start-up development.
Societally, visuAAL bridges the gap between technological capability and public acceptability, demonstrating that it is possible to design systems that respect individual rights and foster trust. By emphasising stakeholder engagement and co-design, visuAAL ensures that older adults and end users are central to the development process, resulting in solutions that are both accepted and genuinely responsive to users’ needs.