In 1900, there were only three million people aged 65 and older in the US, in 2010, there were more than 40 million. Globally, they are 470 million people aged 65 and older and by 2025, that number will be 820 million. By 2050, the number of people 60 and over will be 32% of the Europe’s total population triggering what many have called the new Silver Economy. This new economy, will affect all aspects of our society – business, healthcare, policy, technology, the list goes on. The Silver Economy is here to stay.
An international research project from Örebro University in Sweden is rolling out a special eldercare telepresence robot, called GiraffPlus. The robot is already being tested in Örebro and is expected to be tested in real homes of seniors in Sweden, Rome, Italy and Malaga, Spain by 2014.
GiraffPlus uses a network of sensors in the home to monitor an elderly person’s health throughout the day. The sensors can measure blood pressure and body temperature, register movements as well as detect if someone is lying still for an unusually long period of time, or takes a tumble. The key however, is a remote controlled telepresence blue mobile robot, Giraff, which come with a large display and speakerphone. Through the Giraff robot, caregivers can see and “visit” patients and discuss their health based on the information registered through the sensors by the GiraffPlus system.
“The system is designed to be able to, for instance, chart an individual’s sleeping pattern. By measuring the level of activity in the apartment during the night, the system helps both the patient and the caregiver to form a picture of the situation and adequate measures can be introduced,” says Professor Silvia Coradeschi from the Robotics Research centre AASS at Örebro University. ”From a physiotherapist’s perspective, this system provides us with simple and satisfactory ways in which to measure levels of activity and obtain reliable information.”