Project idea: Travel 60,an IPTV and Smart Phone technology based Digital Travel Assistant

Although many people identify third age with inactivity and the difficulty to move with independence, many elderly find easier to travel and move around once they get free of major responsibilities. Many retired people have time and resources for recreational travelling, alone or accompanied, causing the rise of tourism among the elderly.

Travel planning and assistance for a safe, healthy and enriching holiday experience    can be significantly supported with Information and Communication Technologies. Travel 60 projects means the development of an accessible IPTV and mobile technology based digital assistant for safe, healthy and easy travel, aimed at the senior community.

MAIN GOALS/OBJECTIVES:

•         Enhance independence and dignity of the elderly.

•         Assist the elderly in travel planning and execution.

•         Bring New Information and Communication Technologies closer to the elderly.

•         Improve life of the elderly quality and independence through healthy lifestyle and cognitive skill enhancing.

•         Create an opportunity for European industry for business, augmented competitiveness and differentiation.

•         Contribute to the strengthening and consolidation of the European Social/industrial framework.

TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES:

•         Design and develop a digital assistant for safe, healthy and easy travel, aimed at the senior community..

•         Develop consistent exploitation plan for and effective industrial and commercial impact, in benefit of European ICT, tourism and related industries.

•         Analyze elderly usage patterns towards new Information and Communication Technologies, as well the understanding ability for related information and functional mechanisms.

•         Development of guidelines for ICT application design, applicable in present and future projects.

THE SYSTEM: CONTENTS

Travel planning assistant

Travel 60 will be able to assist the elderly in travel planning through the search and integration of travel options and routes in consistent travel plan, presented through accessible and self designed interfaces. 

Interesting points

The system will deploy an interactive list in relation with the visiting place containing a relation of interesting point within the area and the best transportation alternatives and routes, taking into account user location.

Travel planning assistant

Travel 60 will be able to assist the elderly in travel planning through the search and integration of travel options and routes in consistent travel plan, presented through accessible and self designed interfaces. 

Interesting points

The system will deploy an interactive list in relation with the visiting place containing a relation of interesting point within the area and the best transportation alternatives and routes, taking into account user location.

Therapeutic Games

Travel 60 will develop and make available therapeutic games for improving cognitive skills and quality of life (affective, physiological and social) of the elderly, both for local and portable system.

Geolocation, safe travel route

The system will combine GPS geo-location and Google maps technology for proving a module to monitor user location and route tracking, to prevent people with diminished cognitive skills from getting lost, for the benefit and safety of user and their families and aides.

Videos

Sometimes end user centred design and accessibility pattern application is not enough to get the elderly to use applications properly and to make them understand the possibilities of the new technologies. For avoiding a misuse and an easy adaptation of the user potential community to the system, Travel 60 will make video-tutorials available for the user.

THSE SYSTEM: TECHNOLOGY

Travel 60 system will combine IPTV (internet television) and Smart Phone technology, in a domestic/mobile system combination.

The system will also combine specifically developed software and existing geo-location technology (GPS, Google Maps…), for a technically optimized, functional and affordable system.