Internet of Things for Enhanced Living Environments, Health and Well-Being: Technologies, Architectures and Systems

Internet of Things (IoT) stands as a concept where things are linked to the Internet, incorporate data collection capabilities and cooperation features between them. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is closely related to the necessity of pervasive healthcare supervision, and his main aim is to contribute to the independence and well-being of older adults using Information and Communication Technologies. At 2050 20% of the world population will be age 60 or older, which will lead to significant consequences for public health such as an increase of diseases, health care costs, shortage of caregivers, and dependency. IoT and AAL architectures enhancements will contribute to the development of personalized healthcare systems that incorporate real-time monitoring features for environmental quality and people’s health status for enhanced living environments and well-being. Scientific developments turn possible to create novel and innovative instruments to empower real-time healthcare supervising solutions for decision making in the management of several syndromes. This paper provides a review summary of the main technologies, architectures, and systems based on IoT and AAL for enhanced living environments. The design, social, and ethical challenges for the implementation of efficient and effective systems for enhanced living environments and future directions are also discussed.