Towards an intelligent multimodal and multimedia user interface providing a new dimension of natural HMI in the teleoperation of all home appliances by E & D users

This paper presents the concept of a new intelligent and intuitive user interface for the control of home appliances and services by Elderly and Disabled users (E&D). This will be achieved by natural language processing (NLR) and gesture recognition (GR).This is the concept behind the HOME project (DE3003) sponsored by the EU initiative on Telematics applications for the benefit of E& D users (TIDE). The HOME project will be based on the work carried out on its predecessor project HEPHAISTOS (T1004), by adding new modalities to it, dialogue elements and technical possibilities (i.e. teleoperation through telephone line) and extending the application field from the domain of home appliances researched in HEPHAISTOS to encompass new emerging home devices and services, such as interactive TV. The development of HOME User Interface will be strictly user oriented, involving both iterative and continuous (long-term) assessment in three pilot sites.