Ambient Assisted Living (AAL)

Study SessionTC 100 AGS MeetingDallas, 15 May 2012

Ulrike Haltrich

2012-05-15 IEC TC100 AAL Study Session 1

2012-05-15 IEC TC100 AAL Study Session 2

Objectives and Strategy of TC 100

Two major objectives of TC 100 standardization are:to enrich human life with entertainment provided by audio, video and multimedia in home and networked environment; andto contribute to society by pursuing energy efficiency and by addressing the options for accessibility in the use of audio, video and multimedia equipment.

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AccessibilityTC 100 recognizes accessibility as one of AAL

topicsIn 2007, TC 100/AGS recognized the need of investigation for accessibility standardization and established a Stage 0 project to produce a Technical Report (published in 2010 ）IEC TR 62678: Audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment activities and considerations related to accessibility and usability- Downloadable free of charge from IEC Web storeTC 100 is developing a “text-to-speech” standardIEC 62731: Text-to-Speech Functionality for Television - General

requirements (CDV stage, 18 May 2012)

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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TC 100 consideration for AAL

TC 100/AGS is discussing AAL as one of new themes for the future3DTVAAL (Ambient Assisted Living ）

Liaison with European Blind Union (EBU)Formed SG 5 Task Group in AGS

Smart Grid and energy efficiency, DC distributionEV and multimedia

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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TC 100 AAL Team

Members: Kate Grant, Shuichi Matsumura, Guido Gybels (European Blind Union), Ulrike Haltrich

AAL introduction: AGS Madrid, 26 April 20111st AAL study session: AGS Melbourne, 25 Oct.

2011 (with European Blind Union)

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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AAL Challenge

Develop systems, devices and interfaces that older people can use comfortably, intuitively and independently in their homes

Not to feel being watchedMonitor people's health, keep their homes

secure and help them stay fit and connected with family and friends

Overcome barriers to the acceptance and usability of AAL systems through innovative user-centric design and accessibility needs of elderly and disabled people

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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Barriers to Accessible Solutions

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

Design mainstream ICT products / services so that the visual presentation can be adjusted by the users (e.g. displays with adjustable font size, contrast, use of colours)

Provide second audio channel / trackto narrate the visual component ofTV broadcasts / videos

Ensure that audio outputs are adjustable in sound volume & quality

Provide text captions enabling deaf peopleto follow the audio component of

TV broadcasts / videos

Design ICT products/services sothat they are compatible withassistive technologies for blindusers such as text-to-speechsoftware

Design mobile phones to minimise interferences with hearing aids

Provide alternative to speech input in interactive voice systems

Provide text telephones & operator relayservices enabling text phone users to communicate with

voice phone users

Design public telephones, ticket machines, information kiosks,

cash dispensers so that they are accessible to wheel chair drivers

Design key pats, touch screensand other interfaces to cater for people

with dexterity problems (e.g. less sensitive, better spaced, larger buttons)

Visual impairments Hearing impairments

Speech impairments

Cannot read visual displays

Barriers

Cannot seevisual web

content

Cannot watchTV broad-casts

Cannot hear voice on telephone

Cannot hear audio status signals

Cannot hear TV audio

Cannot see visual system status signals

Mobile phonesinterfere with

hearing aids

Physical &mobility impairments

Provide speech, audio and other outputmodes as alternative to visual displays & status indicators on ICT products

Provide audio & other output modes as alternative (e.g. vibrating) to audio signals

Provide text telephones & operator relayservices enabling text phone users to communicate with voice phone users

Design ICT products/services so thatthey are compatible with assistive

technologies for people with dexterity impairments (e.g. alternative input devices)

Cognitive impairments

Design online services and otherICT-based products so that they are understandable and usable bypeople with cognitive impartment (e.g. simple/consistent menu structure,consistent use of icons , easy language)

Design online services and other ICT-basedproducts to accommodate age related changes in information processing capabilities(e.g. lower reaction speed, less fine motorskills, reduced memory capacity)

Online content too difficult tounderstand (e.g. complex

language)

Interface / menu too complex

to useCannot talk to voice-based services & systems such as

call centres & interactive response services

Public terminals

unreachable in wheelchair

Interfaces requiring too fine manipulation

skills

SolutionsDesign mainstream ICT products / services so that the visual presentation can be adjusted by the users (e.g. displays with adjustable font size, contrast, use of colours)

Provide second audio channel / trackto narrate the visual component ofTV broadcasts / videos

Ensure that audio outputs are adjustable in sound volume & quality

Provide text captions enabling deaf peopleto follow the audio component of

TV broadcasts / videos

Design ICT products/services sothat they are compatible withassistive technologies for blindusers such as text-to-speechsoftware

Design mobile phones to minimise interferences with hearing aids

Provide alternative to speech input in interactive voice systems

Provide text telephones & operator relayservices enabling text phone users to communicate with

voice phone users

Design public telephones, ticket machines, information kiosks,

cash dispensers so that they are accessible to wheel chair drivers

Design key pats, touch screensand other interfaces to cater for people

with dexterity problems (e.g. less sensitive, better spaced, larger buttons)

Visual impairments Hearing impairments

Speech impairments

Cannot read visual displays

Barriers

Cannot seevisual web

content

Cannot watchTV broad-casts

Cannot hear voice on telephone

Cannot hear audio status signals

Cannot hear TV audio

Cannot see visual system status signals

Mobile phonesinterfere with

hearing aids

Physical &mobility impairments

Provide speech, audio and other outputmodes as alternative to visual displays & status indicators on ICT products

Provide audio & other output modes as alternative (e.g. vibrating) to audio signals

Provide text telephones & operator relayservices enabling text phone users to communicate with voice phone users

Design ICT products/services so thatthey are compatible with assistive

technologies for people with dexterity impairments (e.g. alternative input devices)

Cognitive impairments

Design online services and otherICT-based products so that they are understandable and usable bypeople with cognitive impartment (e.g. simple/consistent menu structure,consistent use of icons , easy language)

Design online services and other ICT-basedproducts to accommodate age related changes in information processing capabilities(e.g. lower reaction speed, less fine motorskills, reduced memory capacity)

Online content too difficult tounderstand (e.g. complex

language)

Interface / menu too complex

to useCannot talk to voice-based services & systems such as

call centres & interactive response services

Public terminals

unreachable in wheelchair

Interfaces requiring too fine manipulation

skills

Solutions

Source: COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT“Towards an accessible information society” Status and challenges of e-accessibility in Europe Dec. 2008

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Proposed Way Forward for TC100

Define use case for standardisation Example: Barriers to Smart TV take up

Use cases are the basis for further development of standards in the following areas

– Terminology

– Technical requirements

– Interoperability

– Standard Gap Analysis

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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Use Case: Smart TV (1) (Guido Gybels, EBU) Barrier to current Smart TV uptake is the home networking and UI usability

For example, even though about 25% of UK households now have a Smart TV with an iPlayer in it compared to about 11% of households who have iPlayers on a tablet, the consumption of BBC content through the tablet version is 4 times as high as on a Smart TV

This indicated that many people don't actually connect their smart TVs to a network.

There is scope for both use case and guidelines work to define the requirements and functionality for easy home networking - setting up and using a device. The complexity of IP home network setup is quite a barrier for many people.

Because quite a lot of AAL activities focus on medical/well-being and monitoring, there must be scope for the role of Smart TVs and definition of a common framework and an application environment to deliver e.g. medical services via a return path of a connected TV and other consumer equipment.

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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Use Case: Smart TV (2) (Guido Gybels, EBU) The external connectivity of Smart TVs offers a great opportunity to deliver

external accessibility solutions by means of applications running on tablets and the like and allowing for instance a blind user to operate their TV through a TTS based smartphone or tablet app, but also elderly people with diminished sight and perhaps dexterity problems to control their TV with a more accesible remote control app on a tablet.

You could also deliver additional content. Manufacturers already have some remote apps but these aren't designed for accessibility and because there is no agreed standard for control in this way that external access technologies could use, there is an interoperability problem for such applications as well as a problem of interfaces/functionality.

For instance, it is no good to have an external control API that, say, an application for blind people could use to offer an external speaking solution if the API has no function to turn on/off the AD.

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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Use Case Process

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

Use Case Proposals

from:

• Projects• NCs• TC

•Associations• Companies

UseCase

Collection

Comments Harmonization

Detailling

GenericUse Cases

Standardisation

RepositoryReference

Architecture

Analysis for Standards

• Gaps• Revisions• Mapping

Source: SGCG Smart Grid SG – WG Sustainable Processes, CEN – CENELEC – ETSI 2011

Ideas/Requirements from TC100 Modifications by SMB SG5

Use Case Methodoloy

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Proposed Next StepsFurther develop use caseFocus on user interface and usability standards

developmentDeliver use case to SMB SG5 before their next meeting

in Sept. 2012

IEC TC100 AAL Study Session2012-05-15

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ThanksThanks

2012-05-15 IEC TC100 AAL Study Session