Requirement of AAL systems: older persons' trust in sensors and characteristics of AAL technologies

The objective of the study was to analyze older people's trust in sensor technology, modes of sensor attachment as well as trust in various characteristics of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) technology. Therefore, 50 participants aged between 60 and 90 years (average age 71.26 years) were surveyed within the context of a requirement analysis, about the perceived positives and negatives of using technological support in everyday life. The analysis was based on data collected in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews from February to March 2011. The study revealed that men had distinctly higher levels of trust in sensor technology than women (7.64 vs. 6.83). The most interesting target audience for AAL technology, older people who are living in a single household, showed lower trust values in sensors than people living together with another person (6.41 vs. 7.83). Another result, important for developing AAL technology, was that fixed attachment of sensors in the accommodation was considered more reliable (7.80) than attachment to clothing or on/in the body. Regarding which characteristics formed the basis for trust in technology; reliability (9.72) and ease of use (9.52) were assessed as highly important. Visibility (8.45) and brand name (5.02) were seen as less important, whereas high costs (3.90) only slightly influenced reliance in AAL technology. Based on these results, further research regarding different stratification criteria, such as gender and housing situation, is needed. In order to gain a holistic model of elderly persons' trust in AAL further surveys, including this target audience, must be performed.