Design of a service-oriented architecture for AAL

Intelligent systems and ambient-assisted living (AAL) technologies actually represent an important research area, mainly due to the rapidly aging society, the increasing cost of healthcare and the growing importance that individuals place on living independently. The general goal is to create intelligence systems able to support people with specific demands to live longer in their preferred environment thanks to intelligent, sensitive and responsive devices. The research describes the design and development of a service-oriented system architecture where different smart objects are combined to offer assistive functionalities to elderly people. The design is driven by a user-centred approach and human-oriented principles. A prototypal system has been realised in the context of an Italian research project promoted by National Institute on Health and Science of Aging (INRCA). The result is an interoperable and flexible platform that allows creating user-centred services for independent living.