Applying context-aware techniques to design remote assisted living applications

Abstract

We present an architecture that includes two essential services to compose the supporting infrastructure required by context-aware applications: a Context Service, that provides access to context information, and a Discovery Service. A reference implementation, based on Web Services technology, was used to develop a remote assisted living application, which relies on ambient sensors, placed in each room, to capture context information and on a combo medical appliance to perform blood pressure measurements on the patient, according to a care plan prescribed by a doctor. The collected set of context data may be transmitted to a monitoring centre and also interpreted locally using medical knowledge; the identification of a patient's abnormal condition can activate local actions or send an emergency message to a monitoring centre. This infrastructure can help a doctor to monitor and assist the patient while he or she is performing daily activities and may also help improving the patient's treatment compliance and quality of life.