August 27, 2009
Artificial Intelligence to Avoid Forgetting Things
Using a combination of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) labels and AI (artificial intelligence) programming, researchers from the University of Granada have devised a system that notifies the elderly or people with special needs that they are forgetting certain everyday tasks. This system uses sensors distributed in the environment in order to detect their actions and mobile devices which remind them, for example, to take their keys before they leave home.
The system recognizes the everyday actions of the users by means of RFID labels. These labels are discreetly placed on the objects that the individuals touch most often, in such a way that, when they do so, a signal is sent to a computer or mobile device situated in the house itself or at an assistance center some distance away.
The activities of the people are assessed using Artificial Intelligence techniques in order to compile a list of actions such as remembering to take a mobile phone before leaving home. The researchers point out that "it is not necessary to use cameras or microphones, and the devices which are used do not entail any technological complications for users, nor do they modify their daily routines."
To evaluate this system, the scientists have designed a Tagged World, which simulates the rooms of a house, with sensors embedded in the environment which help to recognize the behavior of its occupants. The researchers monitored each user so as to obtain an individualized database. They later verified with a test the reliability of the system and the degree of intrusion felt by the participants.
For example, an elderly lady is about to go to bed. She goes into her room, sits down on the bed, takes off her slippers and turns off the light. Suddenly, before getting into bed, a small alarm or tone is sounded and a mobile device reminds her that she has not taken her medication.
The research, published in Expert Systems with Applications journal suggests that elderly people or those with special needs often reject the aid of others and demand more independence. This new system may help to achieve this objective since it does not modify the life of the users.
Expert Systems with Applications 36 (6): 9899-9906, 2009
Posted by rsk at August 27, 2009 12:40 PM