On Health-enabling and Ambient-assistive Technologies

Abstract

Objectives: To provide an introductory overview on selected areas of health-enabling and ambient-assistive technologies and to suggest relevant fields for future research. Methods: Summarizing the state of the art for 1) ambient environments and 2) health- related sensor technologies, 3) presenting relevant medical conditions and their relation to health-enabling technologies, and 4) illustrating the application of those technologies for lifestyle management with examples for activity monitoring and prevention of over-weight. The suggestions for future research are based on own research projects in this field. Results: Health-enabling and ambient-assistive technologies are regarded to have the potential to significantly improve quality of life and efficiency of health care in aging societies. Research on health-enabling and ambient-assistive technologies is highly multidisciplinary. Conclusions: It still has, to a large extent, to be exploratory. An increasing amount of outcomes research through well-designed evaluation studies that explore technical solutions in a social context and in relation to individual needs will be crucial.