Conceptual design and implementation of Indicator-based Smart Glasses: A navigational device for remote assistance of senior citizens suffering from memory loss

The development of wearable technologies has generated considerable interest in the last decade. It opens doors to the emergence of user-centered assistive technologies, which are targeting senior citizens suffering from memory loss. This paper is dedicated to introducing the conceptual, behavioural and architectural design of a remote controllable head mounted display. The Indicator-based Smart Glasses are designed to assist senior citizens in daily navigational tasks with the guidance of human remote caretakers. The use of eyeglasses among the senior citizens is quite common, and it derived us to construct navigation interface prototype by implanting a set of light-emitting diode indicators on the frame of eyeglasses. The system aims to provide senior citizens with visual cues that could be perceived intuitively for navigational commands. Furthermore, the system would improve the independent mobility of senior citizens. The global positioning system- and geographical information system-based location-aware system could be integrated into Indicator-based Smart Glasses to facilitate the remote assisting process. The research method of the study is constructive design science with applied qualitative and quantitative approaches to improve and evaluate the system. The Living Lab, Wizard of Oz methods, plus observation and interviews are used to evaluate and improve the system through iterative pilot and usability tests.