Rapid advances in technology are helping older people to live more independent lives for longer. Agetech World reports on some of the key innovations, from smart devices for the blind to the latest generation of wheelchairs.
Technology has been benefitting elderly and disabled people for many years now, with digital assistants, smartphones and health trackers supporting those with differing needs.
In recent years, the rise of mobility tech has also brought great potential to improve lives, not least of which by leading to improved independence, which is known to have health benefits.
Here are just some of the latest innovations helping older people live more independent lives.
Mobility robot
Some elderly people find that getting around is not as easy as it once was, due to muscle weakness or illness. However, a traditional wheelchair is heavy and cumbersome, making it more difficult to use independently.
The CHRONUS Robotics Kim-e is described as a self-balancing personal mobility robot and offers people with paraplegia or other lower limb disabilities greater independence through a compact, hands-free design and increased mobility.
A cross between an exoskeleton and a self-balancing scooter, it has patented transforming seat technology that allows the user to change from sitting to standing in seconds and allows easy and comfortable operation at eye level – something most traditional wheelchairs cannot offer.
It also features wearable interface technology to allow the user to steer the device by intuitive spinal movements, leaving their hands completely free.
Head control for wheelchairs
munevo DRIVE is a head control for electric wheelchairs based on smartglasses technology, which allows users hands-free control of their wheelchair.
Slight movements of the head are detected by the glasses and converted into control signals, via Bluetooth, through an adaptor attached to the electric wheelchair.
The glasses also feature a display that sits before the user’s right eye through which they can access a navigation menu and different controls. They can also use it to take and share photos using a built-in camera, adjust their wheelchair seat position and send emergency messages.
Smart cane
As we age, our eyesight degenerates, and conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy can lead to visual impairment or even total sight loss.
People who struggle with their vision may use a low-tech white stick to find their way around and identify obstacles.
Now, WeWalk has developed a high-tech handle that is can be added to a traditional white cane. Its built-in ultrasonic sensor identifies obstructions, such as street signs and tree branches, and vibrate to alert the user.
The cane can also be connected to a dedicated smartphone app, allowing users to work out where they are, find their way to different locations and receive public transport information, all through a built-in speaker or a pair of Bluetooth headphones.
Self-driving wheelchair
In South Korea, Guru IoT has created a self-driving wheelchair using the concept of digital twinning: technology whereby a virtual representation serves as the real-time digital counterpart of a physical object or process.
The chair can access a detailed map, which is stored on a cloud-computing platform, allowing it to navigate its way round its environment safely. This approach is less expensive than equipping it with sensors connected to the internet, transmitting and receiving data in real-time.
It is fitted with additional safety technology and proximity sensors, but the use of the digital twin map – rather than using GPS data – means the chair could be cost-effective enough to become a mass market product.
Augmenting with an app
Wheelchairs don’t come cheap, which is why Luci, developed in the US, has been designed to augment existing powered wheelchairs and transform them into smart chairs.
The innovation was primarily a result of safety concerns; the Luci development team found that 87 per cent of power wheelchair users reported at least one tip or fall in the past three years.
The technology consists of a frame containing eight sensors, which guide the chair and avoid obstacles using ultrasonics, radar and cameras to perform tasks such as slowing the chair down safely to prevent accidents.
Skeleton suits
In Japan, known for being at the forefront of technological advances as well as having one of the world’s oldest populations, older people are working past retirement age with the help of the Innophys exoskeleton, or “muscle suit.”
An exoskeleton is a wearable robotic device powered that can increase a person’s physical capability by supporting the shoulder, waist, and thighs when lifting heavy items. Powered suits also help give mobility to impaired limbs.
Innophys’ muscle suits resemble backpacks, within which are air-powered “muscles” that are recharged by squeezing a hand pump about 30 times. A person can lift up to 55 pounds when wearing the suit.
21st century wheelchair
Basic wheelchair designed has remained the same for decades, and traditional models can be heavy, cumbersome and prone to tipping – particularly problems for the elderly, who may be weaker and have poorer balance.
In December 2020, Scottich designer Andrew Slorance, who uses a wheelchair himself, won $1m in the Toyota-run global Mobility Unlimited Challenge to fund the manufacture of his innovative smart-wheelchair.
Inventors were invited to submit smart technologies to improve the lives of people with lower-limb paralysis.
Andrew’s invention, the Phoenix I, uses smart sensors to detect if the user is leaning forward or backwards and adjusts its centre of gravity to prevent tipping or falling.
While the product is not yet in production, it is in development with the aim to launch next year (2022).