Adaptive interfaces for supportive ambient intelligence environments

Abstract

The Ambient Intelligence paradigm offers an excellent way to define Ambient Assisted Living systems for all kind of users. In addition, people with physical, sensory or cognitive restrictions are expected to particularly benefit from the support of intelligent environments. Nevertheless, the huge diversity of users' characteristics makes very difficult to develop interfaces that are adequate for all of them in order to successfully interact with the environment. Even if a "Design for All" approach is assumed and adaptive interfaces are adopted, it is almost impossible to fulfill the diverse, and frequently contradictory, requirements of the different users. This paper presents an experience of designing adaptive interfaces oriented to the needs of the elderly people living in an intelligent environment. These interfaces are integrated in an architecture destined to build complex Ambient Intelligent environments that share resources -mainly hardware and heterogeneous networks- and knowledge. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.