``Information Technology (and Telecom)’’

Working Group Report

Presented by Gregg Vanderheiden, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Panel Co-Chairs:

Gregg Vanderheiden (University of Wisconsin) & Suzanne Iacono

(National Science Foundation)

Issue: Incentive

l A growing percentage of our population is over 65.

l This population with either be able to live independently in the environments they encounter (home, community, etc.) or they will have to move into more dependent situations--at a high cost to them and to society.

l We do not know how to design environments that will allow much of this group to live independently in the environments they encounter today.

Goals: Challenge

l To enable all adults to remain healthy (all aspects), involved, and capable of living an independent life for 10 years longer than what is possible today

l To prevent people from having to move from independent environments into high cost alternatives as they age

l To tap/use the potential of the senior population

Ageless Environments:

Government Services; Fitness; Health (Clinic, Home, Person); Social Integration; Employment/Productivity; Mentoring/Knowledge Network; Education; Home/Daily Living; Entertainment; Mobility/Transportation

Remember, if we don’t have Ageless Environments, we have Environments that cause people to become dependent as they age.

Ageless Technologies:

Government Services; Fitness; Health (Clinic, Home, Person); Social Integration; Employment/Productoivity; Mentoring/Knowledge Network; Education; Home/Daily Living; Entertainment; Mobility/Transportation

Remember, if we don’t have Ageless Technologies, we have Technologies that cause people to become dependent as they age.

Ageless Technologies / Environments

Ageless Information & Telecom Technologies

Web; Telecomm; Telemedicine; Tele Presence; Public Terminals; Hoe Information Appliances; Collaborative Networks; Wearable Devices; Workstations; Robotics; Distance Ed

Ageless Information / Telecom Technologies

Technologies that:

Are usable by all ages

– Address the needs of all ages

– Adjust to the needs, abilities, and preferences
of users

– Equally engaging to all ages

Examples

l Self-Adapting interfaces

– Sensory independent
(low/no vision, low/no hearing)

– Physical Adaptive

– Cognitive Adaptive

l Products that you can interact with naturally, intuitively (with different intuitions) (all ages)

l Home Audio-Visual systems that work when just plugged in to wall

l TV like portal that takes you into all government. (and other?) services

l Household robots – understandable by all

l Sensory Translating Telecom

l Assistance on Demand

l Reminder systems

l Telemedicine

l Clothes with sensors that monitor health, activity, location and well being

l Environments that sense activity, vitals, gait, compliance with medical routine etc.

l Discrepancy analysis software

– For self awareness

– For alerting others

– For Diagnosis

Grand Challenge

l To develop advanced technology demonstrations of the components of “Ageless Environments” (or “Ageless Technologies”)

l In our Case, ATD’s for Ageless Information/Telecom Environments

– Not separate environments, but demonstrations of
Ageless IT/Tel Environment implemented on/in
an existing community’s IT/Tel environment.

– Proof of concept

– Test impact longitudinally

Grand Challenge: Some Components

l Email - Web browser / writer that is so simple and straightforward it can be used by 90+% of people over 65 years of age (that are aware of environment) with little training.

l Assistance on Demand Technologies

l Private Personal Portal

– One stop access to their personal financial, government interests, etc. information. Friendly, adaptive, private.

l Web Training and Mentoring for Seniors (by seniors)

l Demo of passive health care telemetry