Location-based smartwatch application for people with complex communication needs

One of the important elements of successful parenting is care for children's safety, which includes parental knowledge about children's whereabouts, especially when a child has complex communication needs. In this context smartwatch may become a new aid not only for children but for all persons with complex communication needs, primary due to location and communication functions which can be efficiently deployed within smartwatch application, combined with everyday habit of wearing a watch on the wrist. Innovative functions and applications may put the smartwatch in the category of safety products within assistive technology, but there is a lot to investigate since the smartwatch technology is advancing very quickly. The paper presents multidisciplinary research performed in the area of information and communication technology, focusing on a smartwatch application as the assistive technology for locating persons with complex communication needs. Developed software application is described, that is based on the concept of predefined and ad hoc safety zones, enabling smartphone mobile application and web application users to define the zones for safe movement of smartwatch wearer. Also the graphical issues related to the smartwatch user interface design and other smartwatch performances that were faced during the research are presented.