Specially designed high-tech apartment to monitor health of elderly
Engineers at the University of Texas at Arlington have teamed up with Christian Care Senior Living Communities to design and build a “smart care” apartment with the aim of improving the lives, safety and overall health of its residents.
Built in an 86 square-metre apartment donated by Christian Care, the new design was unveiled in May as a prototype it’s hoped will change the lives of seniors, as well as people with disabilities who wish to remain independent.
How will it help? With in-built state-of-the-art technology and clever design, of course. The project received federal funding from the US Government to the tune of US$600,000 over five years, allowing extensive research in a collaborative effort involving faculty from the UT Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the College of Engineering. This development period has led to the following technologies being incorporated into the design:
- Under-floor sensors that allow researchers to measure and evaluate changes in walking gait, balance and weight. It is hoped that this feature will help give early indication of illness or injury.
- A lift chair to help residents stand.
- LG brand appliances in the kitchen that communicate with each other.
- Exercise equipment like a recumbent bike and an interactive X-Box Kinect system.
- A camera embedded in the bathroom mirror to monitor day-to-day heart rate, skin colour, and facial expressions. Changes in these features can be revealing about aspects of overall health, as well as the amount oxygen present in the blood.
- A special mug that interacts with the coffee table to record blood pressure readings.
Now that the design has been unveiled, the search is on for a couple within the Lakewood Village Senior Living Community, who will live in the apartment for at least 12 months so researchers can study the effectiveness of the design, and receive feedback on the usability.