The aging society and the resulting demographical change pose one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century. To solve problems that occur within this context, economy, politics and science need to work together. The aim of the Research Association Fit4Age is to develop technical solutions that help elderly people in their home (Fit4Life), at work (Fit4Work), on the road (Fit4Mobility) as well as in communication with their environment for an affordable price. Developments in the field of "Fit4Life" focus on supporting elderly people in their daily activities at home. The aim of these age appropriate technical solutions is to afford a longer self-determined life in a familiar environment. Information technologies are integrated into a home environment to improve the living situation of elderly people. Acceptance and usefulness are of essential importance for every development, realized within this project.

"InformARTik" as part of "Fit4Life" focuses on intuitive interfaces between elderly people and the integrated technologies. The expression "InformARTik" states the connection between technology, computer science and art. The aim is to utilize artwork as access to modern communication technology and additionally to use it as transportation vehicle for clinical relevant data. Within this project new and innovative methods are developed to direct the attention especially of elderly people to clinically relevant areas, to impart knowledge and to offer screening and diagnostic instruments.

First example applications which illustrate this idea are already available. Based on the SKT, an interactive test system for the measurement of cognitive impairments which can be independently used by an elderly person was implemented and is currently evaluated. Besides mental health which is addressed by this test system, also the physical condition is crucial for a self-determined life in the familiar home environment. Therefore another application, the Ergo-Feeder, was developed within this project. This is an interface which is especially designed to provide an easy and intuitive access to supervised physical activity for elderly people. Further demo applications which show the connection of art and computer science are the virtual fish tank and the immersive painting.

Important for these and all future applications within "InformARTik" is a practical and intuitive design, which allows for an easy integration into already existing home environments. Therefore all applications are integrated into the Intelligent Senior Adapted (ISA) - House, which is located at the Pattern Recognition Lab in Erlangen.

Links:

Official "Fit4Age"-Homepage               Interaction in the ISA house               Galerie Treppenhaus