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Friday, September 3, 2010
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Last updated: 08/23/2010
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| Smart Homes and Ambient Assisted Living |
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| Founded: 2006 |
| Membership: 112 |
| http://www.health-smarthomes.org |
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| Chair |
Term of Office: 2006 - 2012 |
| Demiris, Dr. George , PhD |
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| Associate Professor |
| University of Washington |
| Seattle WA USA 98195-7266 |
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| Vice-Chair |
Term of Office: 2009-2012 |
| Koch, Prof. Sabine , PhD, MSc |
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| Director |
| Karolinska Institutet |
| Stockholm Sweden 171 77 |
| +46 8 52487149 |
| +46 (0)8-52483600 |
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Goals & Objectives
Goals and Objectives
The aim of this working group is the study and promotion of research and development in the area of smart homes and ambient assisted living applications. A "smart home" is a residential setting equipped with a set of advanced electronics, sensors and automated devices specifically designed for care delivery, remote monitoring, early detection of problems or emergency cases and promotion of residential safety and quality of life. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are utilized to allow individuals to live independently in their preferred environment. Thus, systems are patient-centered rather than institution-centered as they are designed to address the needs of individuals, their families and caregivers rather than these of health care facilities. Furthermore, such technologies can allow for the detection of emergencies and provide the means to increase social interaction and minimize isolation for residents (by increasing access to information, entertainment resources and communication with peers).
The Working Group provides a forum for ongoing discussion and a collaborative platform for research and development combining expertise in engineering, sensor technologies, ubiquitous computing, health systems, gerontology and human computer interaction. We will address not only technical challenges but also the end users' needs, ethical, clinical and policy issues and the design of sustainable and non-obtrusive interventions, providing a holistic examination of the current status and future trends in smart homes and ambient assisted living.
Recent activities:
The working group was officially approved by the IMIA General Assembly and established in November 2006 (WG Chair George Demiris, Co-Chair Guy Dewsbury). Since then several milestones were accomplished for the first year. The specific tasks/milestones we have accomplished so far include:
- Working Group Website - The WG website was created in December 2006. The site is at http://www.health-smarthomes.org/ the site includes information about existing research projects and other related resources, as well as links to related organizations, announcements and events. It is being updated regularly.
- Working Group Listserv - The WG listserv smarthomes@u.washington.edu was established in December 2006 and at the time of writing this report, it includes 112 members.
- Call for Papers for Special Topic Issue with Methods of Information in Medicine. In February 2006 we announced a call for papers for a Methods of Information in Medicine Special Topic Issue on "Smart Homes and Ambient Assisted Living in an Aging Society." This Special Topic Issue will focus on the wide spectrum of all relevant issues and provide a holistic examination of the current status and future trends in smart homes and ambient assisted living, and will bring together informatics experts, practitioners and designers from a wide range of domains including engineering, health services, gerontology, usability, biomedical engineering, human-computer interaction. Submission deadline was May 1, 2007. A total of 22 papers were submitted and sent out for reviews. Detailed Call for Papers can be found at: http://www.health-smarthomes.org/call.pdf
- Medinfo participation. A workshop endorsed by the working group, focusing on patient-centered technologies for the home was submitted to and accepted by Medinfo 2007. At Medinfo 2007 we will have our working group's first business meeting.
Next steps:
In the academic year 2007-2008 we aim to complete the review and editing process for the Special Topic Issue, further expand our membership and update and expand the resources available on the website with the ultimate goal to create a registry of all smart home and ambient assisted living initiatives. We also plan to disseminate a newsletter at the end of the first year summarizing the working group's efforts, research findings and trends and opportunities for collaboration. Finally, we have started exploring options to sponsor or co-sponsor a professional meeting that will allow members of the Working Group to interact and present their work.
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Interested in joining this group? Click HERE to enquire.
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