As part of its Open Collaborative Research program, IBM is working together with the National Institute of Design (NID) of India and Japan’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) to explore an open, common user interface platform for mobile devices that will make them easier to use for disadvantaged populations around the world.
Here’s what’s the problem:
There are more than 4 billion mobile phone users in the world, but not everyone can use the Internet in the same way. It’s not just the problem of multiple devices (some are powerful than others), it’s also that some people are illiterate, blind, deaf or elderly. The aim of the research is to help everyone access the web and other Internet services from their mobile phone.
Initially, the research will focus on Japan’s elderly population, where the aging rate is growing at a rapid pace — the Land of the rising Sun has the most elderly population in the world, in case you didn’t know. On the other hand, India’s NID will help identifying the communication needs and preferences of the non- and semi-literate population, to “not only help them connect but to engage with information through mobile devices.”
The great thing about this cooperation is that the software developed by IBM Research and the universities will be made available as open source, and other materials developed will be made publicly available so that governments and businesses around the world to take advantage of the technology and eventually make the world a better place. We love the idea and the noble goal it tries to reach! 🙂