Life Members Mike Andrews and Kirpal Khalsa co-hosted the second AgeTech webinar on Feb. 27th which included an update on the IEEE AgeTech Initiative as well as live break-out sessions for the three working groups of this initiative.
“We as technical professionals have a voice and a sensitivity to our surroundings and the people we serve – this is the driving force behind our work here, which will enable us to help people around the world,” said Andrews.
The three current working groups and their focus are:
Standards: Develop proposal(s) for one or more new IEEE Standards for AgeTech and associated certification. Peter Wishart, secretary of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) Standards Committee, provided a comprehensive explanation of the standards process, with a specific focus on PARs (Program Authorization Request).
Data Sets: Solicit and disseminate publicly available data sets to support research and development of AgeTech products and services through IEEE DataPort. Kirpal Khalsa, Secretary of the Standards Association Industry Connections AgeTech Activity, provided an overview of terminology related to AgeTech that can enhance segmentation and scaling in tying tech to people at various stages of life.
Education and Certification: Develop and deliver IEEE educational resources to help older adults make effective use of technology for the aging and encourage developers to use IEEE standards and certification to make products and services that are “aging friendly.” Life Member David Fillion provided insight on why education is critical in increasing utilization of AgeTech and thus a major path forward to enhancing quality of life for people around the world.
Following the working sessions, team leads provided a report on next steps.
Approximately 25 people attended.
You can learn more about the group’s scope of work, the people involved and the work groups you can join by visiting https://standards.ieee.org/industry-connections/activities/technology-standards-for-the-aging/.
