Living in a Networked Home: Older Adults' Expectations and Attitudes.

A challenge facing our rapidly aging population is the need to age independently, preferably at home. Smart home technologies promise to provide older adults with better health, safety, and peace of mind. However, their adoption remains low, and identifying the potential barriers remains an open question. This study investigated older adults’ opinions and attitudes toward various smart home technologies and their integration in a connected environment. Seven older adults participated in an in-lab study to interact with two types of simulated smart home environments varying in degrees of task automation and technology integration. Results suggest that older adults perceive smart home technologies to be beneficial for supporting aging-in-place, and for maintaining health, safety, and convenience, and are open to living in a connected and automated environment. Discussions also took place around barriers and potential risks – including costs, privacy, reliability and learning curve – as well as future design implications.