Challenges for ambient intelligence: empowering the users

The present study tries to understand the relation between an individual and ambient intelligence environment. Three cases have been taken into consideration: resident of popular housing projects, students of a domotica centre of education, and last generation vehicles maintenance technicians. The research is based both on qualitative studies, such as focus groups, and on quantitative analyses, through surveys using direct questionnaires. The interaction between the individual and the technology has been brought back to a linguistic problem and to the representation of the individual intelligences variety. The results underline that individuals should establish positive relations with an intelligent environment, suitable to their intellective characteristics. Finally, the centrality of individual appears to be in a double direction: not only the simple user, but also the auxiliary mediator, who accompanies the user along the road of technology management.