Active assisted living: guidance for those working with assistive technologies

From hearing aids to sensors that detect a fall, the technology to help the elderly or those with disabilities has come a long way in recent years, and the market just keeps on growing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 2.5 billion people currently need assistive products and technologies, and the number is expected to grow to over 3.5 billion people by 2050.

Thanks to revolutionary technologies, ageing or disability is no longer synonym with dependence or immobility. Smart home systems, voice activated technology, robotics, wheelchairs and telecare are just some of the solutions that exist to improve quality of life, and digital technologies such as AI are accelerating this trend.

The IEC has many standards to support the safety and innovation of Active Assisted Living (AAL), with a dedicated Systems Committee (SyC) to facilitate the work. It prepares standard for devices that enable usability and accessibility of AAL systems and services, including alarms, robots, wearables and speech recognition.

The SyC brings together a multitude of technology experts, such as medical devices, consumer electronics, Internet of Things, computer systems and networks from several IEC technical committees (TCs), including IEC TC 59 (performance of household appliances), IEC TC 61 (safety of household appliances), IEC TC 100 (audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment) and ISO/IEC JTC 1 (information technology).

Recognizing that technology is only as good as the people using or developing it, it has recently published guidance for education and training of persons working in the field of AAL.

IEC SRD 63314:2024 Active assisted living (AAL) guidance for education and training of persons working in the field of AAL aims to ensure that persons operating the AAL systems are competent, with the right education, training, or experience. The guidance covers technical assistants and experts, consultants and carers. It provides recommendations related to knowledge, skills and social competence.

See a preview here.