Intelligent companions for older adults

Mobile technologies have the potential to enhance the lives of older adults, especially those who experience a decline in cognitive abilities. However, diminutive devices often perplex the aged and many HCI problems exist. This paper discusses the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to develop intelligent algorithms which will (a) govern how a mobile application adapts the design of its multimodal interface to accommodate differing abilities of older users, and (b) intelligently compose and recount user life-cached memories in a multimodal storytelling format based on user abilities and preferences. A test-bed application entitled MemoryLane is currently being developed to implement these techniques.