There has been continued effort over time at development and deployment of systems for creating a better and comfortable living environment, providing assistance and support for the needy, and helping the society and economy.

These systems are largely dynamic and are responsive to relevant demands on a timely manner, and so provide an enabling environment. This presentation will explore the following areas in an enabling systems landscape:

• Noise and structural vibration are known to have adverse effects on humans, and the associated risks are psychological and/or physiological in nature. Attempts to mitigate and minimise the risks comprise passive and/or active control, with varied degrees of sophistication.

• There is a noticeable size of the population with disability. Similarly, the elderly population is on the rise. Mobility assistance systems for these groups of people comprise robotic systems combined with electrical muscle stimulation.

• Standardisation is an essential step beyond research and development of a technology, and it enables industry to develop products that can be certified by credible sources and thus be marketed. These have traditionally included safety and performance standards, and an emerging area in this context is ethics of technology, with specific focus on robotics and autonomous systems.