A Review of Ubiquitous Applications and Technologies Oriented Towards Disabled and Senior People

Forthcoming wireless networks will combine high capacity heterogeneous networks, with almost universal availability, with the property of roaming and interaction aimed to mobile users. In this context of ubiquitous networking, applied research will undoubtedly bring the attention to the enduser, who will become the center of services and applications. People-aware scenarios will offer services according to the user profile. Indeed, specific collectives, such as disabled/handicapped or senior people, may benefit specially from these smart wireless environments, due to their property of adaptivity. In this paper we aim to review the most important projects and technologies in this field. We provide a brief taxonomy of the most prominent developments in the area, including a description of envisioned and current systems, and a discussion on wireless technology issues and profile management and standardization.