Paper Title
Model for an Integrated Design of Smart Furniture for the Elderly
Abstract
The traditional view of the furniture as a static object of beauty and utility has been surpased with the advent of
the new technologies, the concept of Ambient Assited Living and the fast paced changes in the social relations. The society
is aging and the elderly are more willing to stay at their home, thus, the static furniture which they have been using is no
longer able to adress their needs. Hence, the concept of Smart Furniture is gaining more importance because it offers
solutions for improving the living conditions of the elderly, monitor their health and assist them throughout their aging. The
aim of this research is to establish a model for a participatory and integrative approach for the design of Smart Furniture i n
order to alleviate the production obstacles and increase its production. Therefore, a literature review on the state of the art of
Smart Furniture design is undertaken in order to investigate the key design aspects needed for the delivery of a succesfull
product. A survey is conducted among furniture production companies for assessing the available capacities, knowledge and
issues for design production of Smart Furniture. The identification of behavioral, ergonomical, psychological and physical
needs of users will significantly contribute towards the creation of sustainable product solutions. Further, a set of defined
criteria for assessment of a Smart Furniture product is proposed and validated by a team of experts, followed by ranking of
their relevance. With the research a model is established for an Integrated Universal Design and a tool for a qualitative and
quantitative assessment of a Smart Furniture product. Such a model will enable the development of novel research ideas that
willl produce smart furniture based on the concepts of Universal Design, Ambient Assited Living and Ubiquitous
Computing. The Authors would also like to acknowledge the contribution of the COST Action CA16226 – Indoor living
space improvement: Smart Habitats for the Elderly.
Keywords - Smart Furniture, Ambient Assited Living, Information and Communication Technologies, Sustainability,
Ubiquitous Computing