LifeWear – Mobilized Lifestyle with Wereables

The ITEA 2 LifeWear Project intends to improve the quality of everyday life through the use of wearable computer equipment and applications. It will develop a new platform based on the achievements of previous EU research projects where wearable electronics will work in conjunction with mobile computers to enhance the mobile lifestyle of users and create new market opportunities for its collaborating partners.

Users of technology need to interact on a daily basis with various interfaces provided by a host of different kinds of electronic devices such as mobile phones and TV sets. Yet such interaction is often hard as many people find even their mobile phone interfaces bulky and too complicated.

Moreover, as technology evolves, users are introduced to new platforms, devices and services enabling them to access improved underlying structures. This requires a more interactive environment, especially for mobile applications. The answer lies in wearable computers which offer new possibilities and new ways of interaction which are more mobilised, more adapted and more natural.

IMPROVING EVERYDAY ACCEPTANCE

As well as the technology to enable applications, modelling and measuring user acceptance is crucial. LifeWear intends to improve the quality of life by developing wearable equipment and applications while improving user acceptance of such everyday systems. It will build on the results of the EU Sixth Framework Programme WearlT@work project both in the wearable equipment and the software which will be exploited and improved.

Users commonly have to learn to use various interfaces with very different functions. Memorising all these actions is hard and time consuming, even with the user guides provided by the manufacturers.

Everyday users should be able to interact with their environment naturally and seamlessly, without intermediate control mechanisms. The ITEA 2 project will investigate and improve the acceptance of wearable equipment.

LifeWear will focus particularly on user interaction. The ITEA 2 project will conduct research on various technologies such as wearable computers and sensors, new ways of human-machine (HCI) interaction, machine learning and ubiquitous computing focusing on personalisation, privacy and seamless interaction.

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