Multi-Agent Interaction to Assist Visually-Impaired and Elderly People

Juliana Damasio Oliveira, Debora C. Engelmann, Davi Kniest, Renata Vieira and Rafael H. Bordini
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Juliana Damasio Oliveira: School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90619-900, Brazil
Debora C. Engelmann: School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90619-900, Brazil
Davi Kniest: School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90619-900, Brazil
Renata Vieira: CIDEHUS, University of Évora, 7000-809 Évora, Portugal
Rafael H. Bordini: School of Technology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90619-900, Brazil

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: A voice-controlled smart home system based on conversational agents can address the specific needs of older people, proactively providing support, compensating for cognitive decline, and coping with solitude, among other features. In particular, Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) platforms provide considerable support for complex adaptive systems that are naturally distributed and situated in dynamic environments, such as Ambient intelligence (AmI) applications. Such autonomous intelligent agents are capable of independent reasoning and joint analysis of complex situations to support high-level interaction with humans, besides providing typical characteristics of MAS, such as cooperation and coordinated action. In this context, we developed an approach using a MAS previously evaluated for visually impaired users, where most of the system’s functionalities are also helpful for the elderly. Our methodology is based on the four steps of the interactive design process. As a result, we determined that our approach has elements that allow for natural interaction with users, and we identified and discussed improvements and new features for future work. We believe that our findings can point to directions for building AmI systems that are capable of more natural interaction with users.

Keywords: multi-agent systems; daily living assistance; elderly care; visual impairment assistance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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