Assistive Human-Machine Interfaces for Smart Homes

Computer systems have shown in the past (Zajicek, 2000) that they can be powerful allies in home-based health care and offer great potential to improve quality of life but only if they are designed to take into consideration the specific needs of their beneficiaries. Satisfying usability as well as the functional requirements in such a home setting are equally critical. This paper discusses the development of user interfaces, following the “Designfor-all” philosophy, oriented towards a multi-agent system interacting with an intelligent engine. Originally, the system will focus on the control of white goods (large kitchen appliances) but will have scalability properties making it appropriate and extensible for the inclusion of other devices that may be deployed thereafter. The interfaces must be flexible enough to adapt to the targeted public, fit any user’s preferences and/or needs and make the interaction as simple and intuitive as possible. This work is part of the EU FP6 IST e-inclusion ‘EASY LINE+’ project.