Friendly technology will enable independent living
Posted on 14 July 2004
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the University of York have joined forces to launch a unique centre to research home technologies of the future.
CUHTec - the Centre for Usable Home Technology - will investigate the real needs of users of future home technologies, especially older and disabled people who want to live independently in their own homes. It takes an integrated approach to the issue with research on ground-breaking technologies through to the human experience of using them.
Underpinned by world-class research in the Departments of Psychology, Computer Science and Electronics at the University, CUHTec brings together a group of talented researchers and a wide range of interested users and suppliers - from IT companies to social services organisations.
One of CUHTec's key projects is the 'responsive home', which has a demonstration house established on the University campus for researchers and user groups.
Professor Andrew Monk, Director of CUHTec, Department of Psychology explains:
"We intend to use an ordinary home equipped as a state-of-the-art research lab to find out how people really use technology and what they really want from it. Many home technologies have failed because they do not take account of people's real needs, particularly their social needs, and CUHTec is set to change that."
The Responsive Home has a number of unusual features. They include:
- a large fridge configured as a touchscreen interface to an 'embodied conversational agent' (ECA). A bar code reader inside it scans the fridge contents, enabling the user to know what's inside, explore options for the contents (recipes and so on), and compile and print out shopping lists.
- a rise and fall sink wired to a simple up/down switch, to enable a wheelchair user or a child to adjust the height of the sink. It has the potential to accept oral commands if the person using it cannot operate a switch.
- a living room wired with video cameras connected to a suite of observation monitors for playback of group experiments. This allows for analysis of people's behaviour as they interact with technology.
- an 'audio photo desk' which can view pictures and play the sound associated with them. This entertaining feature could help people with dementia or memory and language problems to look at pictures of family members or key events with helpful sound input. It could also simply entertain those who wish to reminisce. It uses a web cam with an image-recognising sound file.
The fridge, is the exciting result of a collaboration between Lexicle and the Department of Computer Science.
Julia Brant, the Manager of CUHTec comments:
"The unique aspect of this project is that it will look at a spectrum of facilities - some of which are in the responsive home - from very simple equipment to avert accidents, to complex applications where the interface can be personalised, and finally, to applications which take account of people's social and personal needs and give them control over technologies."
The Centre for Usable Home Technology will provide a resource for:
- companies which design, manufacture and supply electronic products for home use;
- academic and commercial research laboratories;
- organisations that purchase systems and products on behalf of end users, such as Social Services Departments and carers organisations;
- user groups who represent older age groups and disabled users in particular.
The Centre will be launched on 14 July at the University by Baroness Dean, a keen supporter of assistive home technologies and former union leader.
Notes to editors:
- CUHTec - the Centre for Usable Home Technology (www.cuhtec.org.uk) has been established to address the shortcomings in design of home technologies for a wide range of users, particularly technologies for assisted independent living. Organisations can join CUHTec and contribute to its agenda through a membership scheme.
- The Department of Psychology at the University of York has the highest possible scores for both teaching and research quality in the university system. The rapid expansion into this new area of research has been made possible by the established track record of interdisciplinary research in human-computer interaction between the departments of Psychology, Computer Science and Electronics. The Human-Computer Interaction Group at York has long been recognised as one of the strongest national groups studying user-centred design. York is also well placed to develop and exploit new technology through the Science Park and its Reachout Programme. Several companies have already been spun-off from research originally carried out in the departments involved here. They include Lexicle, Cybula and Immersive Media Spaces, which are all collaborating with CUHTec
- The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (www.jrf.org.uk) is one of the largest independent social policy research and development charities in the UK. It supports a wide programme of research and development projects in housing, social care and social policy and has extensive experience in 'smart home' design.
- Baroness Dean was the General Secretary of SOGAT '82 from 1985 to 1991. She is currently the Chairman of the Housing Corporation, Chairman of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body, and President of the College of Occupational Therapists.