PERSONA
Description
“PERceptive Spaces prOmoting iNdependent Aging” (PERSONA) is an Integrated Project of the VI EU R&D Framework Programme, included in the Strategic Objective Ambient Assisted Living for the Ageing Society of the IST Thematic Priority.
The objective of this project is to advance in the area of Ambient Intelligence by the use of a combination of AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) technologies and concepts.
AAL Services are sustainable and feasible solutions for the independence and integration of the elderly in social activities. It aims to prolong the time they can live alone in their own homes, giving them a marked degree of independence and self-reliance, improving their safety and looking after their health and social integration.
PERSONA develops an open and accessible technological platform to build and analyse a wide range of AAL Services designed for real users with the objectives of evaluating their social impact and establishing the fundamental business strategies for the development of the proposed technologies and services.
AAL Services are divided into four categories of old people’s needs: Social integration, support in carrying out daily activities, safety in the home against internal and external threats, and mobility support outside the home.
The project is being carried out by a consortium composed of a total of 21 research groups from Spain, Greece, Germany, Italy, Norway and Denmark. Participating firms include Vodafone Italy, IGD-Fraunhofer Institut, MOTOROLA, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), CNR-ISTI Pisa, Fundación Vodafone, ANCO S.A., Region Syddenmark and ITACA-TSB.
The Technologies for Health and Wellbeing Group (TSB) of the ITACA Institute is the Project Technical Coordinator and holds the responsibility for achieving objectives.
ITACA-TSB is also involved in all stages of the final services development process: definition of the social and user models, definition of the final services to be developed, development of reference architecture for AAL services, development of communications infrastructure and sensors in the homes of the elderly, development of algorithms based on artificial intelligence techniques for the safety and independence of the elderly, and definition of the business model for the commercial exploitation of these services.
