Smarter Homes for Older Adults: Building a Framework Around Types and Levels of Autonomy

Abstract

The types and levels of autonomy have been deeply discussed and, in some cases, standardized in the areas of human robot interaction, autonomous vehicles, and spaceflight vehicles. However, there is not an established framework for in-home technologies, which is a growing area of technological development. Home technologies have had significant effects on how people live, especially improving the ways in which older adults and their caregivers navigate various daily tasks. Having a framework to define the types and levels of automation in home technologies is necessary to better understand the state of the art, identify current and future directions for development, and facilitate communication between stakeholders. This paper reviews existing studies on smart home technologies and previous efforts around building taxonomies of automation in different domains. Literature around technology adoption among older adults and related design considerations are also discussed to further describe home automation as it applies to improving independence among older adults.