# Voice Assistant Application for Avoiding Sedentarism in Elderly People Based on IoT Technologies
###### Abstract  
The rise in the use of virtual assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa among different sectors of society is facilitating access to information and services that were previously inconceivable due to the existing digital divide due to age. This situation allows especially the elderly to perform tasks much more easily and to access applications and services that could be a challenge for them with other digital user interfaces. With this in mind, the EMERIT project aims to improve the lives of the elderly through the use of virtual assistants in different case studies. In this sense, virtual voice assistants along with the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can contribute to avoid sedentarism in the elderly; however, it is necessary to address the problem of proactivity presented by the virtual assistants available in the market. This article presents a solution that, through the use of activity monitoring smart bracelets, IoT devices and virtual voice assistants allow the elderly to monitor their daily physical activity simply by using their voice and therefore prevent them from sedentary patterns. Finally, this study presents the technical results obtained after the deployment of the proposed system and discusses the main advantages and the current challenges of the use of virtual assistants in applications to prevent sedentary lifestyles in the elderly. v 2021 10 980 2021 10 and Apple as well as other open-source projects have proposed their own voice assistants (Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri, etc. ), providing a totally natural communication interface for the user. In addition, many of current voice assistants allow developers to create applications (\"skills\" or \"actions\") that can interact with the user in addition to elements of their environment. This user interface has a great potential for older adults [3] due to its ease of use and short learning curve. Moreover, it offers the possibility of using it as a novel user interface with home automation devices and other Internet-based services (such as news, multimedia, and e-commerce) in a seamless way. It is at this point that the need to research and develop new solutions integrating VAs into the daily lives of the older adults arises, to serve as a tool to help in their daily life and the process of ageing. Improvement of the aging process of the elderly in their own home is one of the points on which the scientific literature has focused. As a result, it is possible to highlight multiple works in the scientific literature that focus on home care and remote medical assistance systems [4; 5]. Along these lines, other systems that seek to promote healthy habits in the elderly have been addressed in the literature in works such as [6] or [7], which address the use of mobile technology for active, healthy ageing, but these studies do not take into account the possible digital divide of the elderly. One of the challenges in the aging process is the lack of physical activity in the elderly. Studies such as the one by [8] seek to quantify Physical Activity (PA), using different sensors such as smart bracelets in order to validate their use for this purpose. Likewise, works such as that of [9] conclude that activity trackers, for example, smart bracelets and IoT technologies, may be an effective technology to encourage physical activity among older adults. Moreover, works such as the one by [10] highlight the importance of promoting moderate exercise practice among the elderly, thus allowing physical fitness maintenance. However, the use of smart bracelets alone for activity tracking is not enough for avoiding sedentarism, at this point the engagement and motivation of the user is needed. Studies such as [11] show how gamification of physical activity in older adults achieves greater engagement and interest on performing physical activities.