Enabling older people to play a full and valuable role in society is the aim of the Netcarity project.

Netcarity will demonstrate that the integration of technology into a familiar home environment can improve social inclusion.

Scenario

Netcarity will help users keep in touch with friends and family through new communication terminals in their homes. By interacting with Tablet PCs, conversational agents and virtual representations of objects, they can easily initiate conversations with other people, share images, documents and carry out social activities such as preparing Christmas gifts for local church congregations, sending greeting cards to family and friends or playing card games.

Sample technology

Netcarity will develop three types of interfaces to suit user requirements:

• A Tablet PC-style device which uses touch-screen technology to remove the need for peripherals such as keyboards which older people may find awkward
• Devices which link to a camera and project virtual representations of real objects onto a surface so users can easily interact with familiar items
• Develop the idea of embodied conversational agents in homes – virtual representations of real people, offering guidance and support via displays around the home. The familiarity of a human figure and voice is expected to be appealing to some of the older people population

Who benefits?

• Users are able to communicate with friends and family more frequently and with greater ease. They can use interfaces which are designed around their requirements
• Users are able to play a more active role in society
• Society benefits from the valuable inclusion of older people in the modern society