Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
• if Mario is working with instruments to inlay the wood, the smart environment recognizes which
tool he is using and varies the light accordingly; the change of air is also automatically increased
because he works with chemical agents and produces wood shavings and dust.
With this smart workstation, he can simultaneously work on the old wooden jewel box and follow the
directions given to him by the director of the museum. Mario is also able to use his computer with special
software and interfaces that facilitate access and control of the PC.
Thanks to this special workstation and easy use of the computer, Mario is able to remain in touch with many
international experts who contact him seeking his advice. He is also able to teach remotely some lessons
about restoring wooden objects to students at an art school.
Technological challenges
Adaptive environment control.
•
Seamless connectivity.
•
Adaptive, disabilities compensating user interfaces.
•
4.5. Support for working
To allow individuals with disabilities to work and elderly people to extend their
employment, technological instruments for working support should be designed
according to the characteristics and needs of these people.
In particular, adopting the AAL approach, working instruments and the
workstation environment should be interactive, facilitating the exchange of information
about the tasks that need to be undertaken and the user's abilities and the ambient
conditions in order to support workers in activities of their job and to improve the
quality of their work.
One of the most common problems that elderly and people who are not self-
sufficient have in their jobs is how to use computers. Computers are powerful tools that
are now in widespread use in most occupations. They have many applications including
typing, defining, organizing, communicating and solving problems. Their use has
changed the approach to work activities over the last 20 years. To be able to use
computers, however, certain motor skills, abilities and knowledge are required.
These factors are often barriers not only to the use of PC by older people and those
who are not self-sufficient but also to their employment. This has a detrimental effect
not only on individuals but also on the profitability of the firm that needs to develop the
experience and skills of these potential workers.
For this reason, technological and software interfaces should be designed to
facilitate the ability of elderly people and non-self-sufficient people to use computers.
For example computers should interact with workers using their language and
explaining to them how they could easily carry out work tasks (see Scenario 13).
Work support is even necessary for computer experienced older workers. Many of
them of are knowledge workers, i.e. they take information about a problem and perform
transformation or manipulation that enriches this knowledge. An efficient support
requests a smart workplace that:
is a communication facilitator to receive and send email, administrates
address-book and supports a telephone functionality;
•
