Data-centric support of a smart walker in a ubiquitous-computing environment

As our population ages, many researchers have investigated how assistive devices may be used to prolong independent living, thus reducing health-care costs. Some have suggested augmenting walkers (also called rollators) with sensors and actuators to assist elderly users. Such systems may also collect usage behavior and make it available to medical professionals for diagnosis or additional research. Ubiquitous computing provides an opportunity to embed computing and networking technologies in our everyday lives. It is natural to incorporate smart walkers into such environments. Some uses of a walker, such as environment customization and cognitive monitoring, also depend on a smart environment. Existing intelligent walkers usually aim at facilitating user mobility and focus on control. We propose that to support a smart walker in a ubiquitous-computing environment, the system should also focus on data, i.e., it should facilitate data collection, aggregation, and dissemination between the walker and the system. This paper describes a smart walker, and discusses how to incorporate it into a ubiquitous-computing environment using a data-centric approach with Jabber technologies. It also argues that Jabber-based middleware is suitable for general ubiquitous computing. Some applications show how the walker may be used with the middleware support.