The Internet of Things for Ambient Assisted Living

TLDR

IoT extends the Internet by enabling smart objects that sense, locate, and connect, and Ambient Assisted Living leverages this technology to support elderly independence, making personal communication with caregivers essential. The study aims to show that integrating KIT and Closed Loop Healthcare creates an IoT‑based AAL paradigm that lets elderly residents live independently in smart homes that communicate intelligently with caregivers and the outside world. The authors combine KIT’s NFC/RFID‑enabled smart objects with Closed Loop Healthcare Services that process data and link elderly, environment, and caregivers, forming an applied IoT infrastructure for AAL scenarios. Pilot IoT‑AAL projects in telemonitoring and medication compliance demonstrate usefulness and acceptance by elderly users, and the infrastructure enables new person‑to‑person communication.

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the logical further development of today's Internet. Technological advancements lead to smart objects being capable of identifying, locating, sensing and connecting and thus leading to new forms of communication between people and things and things themselves. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) encompasses technical systems to support elderly people in their daily routine to allow an independent and safe lifestyle as long as possible. Keep In Touch (KIT) uses smart objects and technologies (Near Field Communication and Radio Frequency Identification) to facilitate telemonitoring processes. Closed Loop Healthcare Services take use of KIT technology and are capable of processing relevant data and establishing communication channels between elderly people and their environment and different groups of care-givers (physicians, relatives, mobile care providers). The combination of KIT technology (smart objects) and Closed Loop Healthcare Services results in an applied IoT infrastructure for AAL scenarios. Already applied IoT and AAL applications in telemonitoring and medication intake compliance projects show that these applications are useful and accepted by the elderly and that the developed infrastructure enables a new form of communication between people and people, people-to-people (P2P) communication. The personal communication between elderly people, their environment and relevant groups of care givers is an important aspect in AAL. Through the combination of KIT and Closed Loop Healthcare, a central AAL paradigm can be realized through the IoT, where the elderly live in their homes with smart objects, thus smart homes, communicating to the outside world in an intelligent and goal-orientated manner.