Research centre secures funding to develop ‘smart appliances’

24 March 2009

Leading researchers at Glyndŵr University are a step closer to completing a prototype to enable elderly people to lead longer more independent lives.

The University’s Centre for Applied Internet Research (CAIR), which was recently assessed to be world leading by the RAE (Research Assessment Exercise), secured an EU funding grant worth £350,000 to develop technologies that ease the burden of an ageing population.

The work concentrates on developing emergent technologies that will interact with smart appliances, such as intelligent fridges, dishwashers, washing machines and cookers, via a centralised ‘e-servant’ system. The ‘e-servant’ will advise when appliances are inaccurately used or there is a hazard risk.

For instance, the smart refrigerator will be able to tell the user if food is going out of date or which food can be eaten in line with a known condition like diabetes. Also, washing machines will be able to read the label of clothes and determine which washing programme best fits the clothes the user has put in. Another example is the user being alerted if the cooker is left on or if a fire is detected.

Known as Easy Line Plus, the project functions as RFID, sensors, artificial intelligence and human machine interfaces combine to build a system which can capture data from the kitchen environment and control household appliances. The e-servant is the artificial intelligence that manages the white goods, based on sensor information and the user interaction.

Researchers at CAIR are responsible for the development of human machine interfaces that allow elderly people with different physical and cognitive abilities to use the smart appliances easily. The interfaces take the form of remote controls, televisions, mobile phones and digital photo frames, and they interact with the ‘e-servant’ to send updates to the user.

The technology could play a key part in reducing the burden that an ageing population places on health and social services. By 2050, the number of people aged over 80 years in Europe will grow by 180 per cent, increasing the need for individuals to lead longer, more independent lives. The prototype that has been developed will make life at home easier for the elderly, and will also enable hospitals to release individuals back into their homes.

Research began in January 2007 and the first model was exhibited and tested in Vienna, Austria, in November 2008. The exhibition was a huge success and proved that the prototype was fully operational. The model has been tested at CAIR’s usability lab over the past 12 months and is now being trialled on real-life case studies.

Vic Grout, director of the Centre for Applied Internet Research, said: “The Easy Line project is an example of the innovative and creative work we do to source solutions to social and economic issues.

 “Results have shown the project could be a major attribute to solving a crucial social problem; however, at the moment it remains a prototype and our work finishes in June 2009 when funding expires.

“We will discover in March how much government funding we will receive as a result of our RAE assessment and, depending on how much we get, we may be able to continue working on the project. There are still many ifs and buts, but if we were able to continue working on the project we could see the product on the market in 2012.”

Researchers at Glyndŵr University have been working in conjunction with major manufacturers Bosch, Siemens and the University of Zaragoza in Spain, amongst others, on the Easy Line Plus project.