New forms of work assistance by ambient intelligence: Overview of the focal research topic of BAuA

Abstract

Research and development in the area of AmI are currently migrating from basic technologies to application-readiness. In the consumer domain a field of research has now become established bearing the description Ambient Assisted Living. In contrast, for the area of work, practice-oriented and work science-relevant questions in the field of AmI are only considered in isolated cases and unsystematically. To capture the intersection of the world of work and the concept of AmI, the term adaptive work assistance systems (AWAS) is coined in this paper. Furthermore, the different research project bundles at BAuA are described briefly, each focusing on opportunities and risks of new I & C technologies in the working environment and their impact on work systems. Most of the projects are handled as BAuA’s own research and supported by external research contracted extramurally.