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Gerontechnology Singapore National Library Board (NLB), in collaboration with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) “Time of Your Life Celebration 2020” Gerontechnology Landscape and Opportunities -- Start-up experience from Taiwan Yeh-Liang Hsu, 徐業良 Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department Director, Gerontechnology Research Center Yuan Ze University, Taiwan 元智大學 CEO Editor-in-Chief, Gerontechnology 2020/10/24 © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 1 Aging boom, baby bust -- Some demographics of Taiwan • Taiwan became an aged society in 2018, • Total fertility rate by World Population Review 2020 and is expected to become a super aged Taiwan: 1.218 (199/199) society by 2025. Singapore: 1.260 (196/199) • Age 65+: 15.79% (3.72M) @2020/08 • Aging index: 125.0 @2020/08 • The average life expectancy: • Taiwan had 177,767 births and 176,296 Male 53.05 / female 55.69 @1950 deaths, or almost zero natural population Male 77.69 / female 84.23 @2019 growth in 2019 • Life expectancy at age 65: Male 18.59 / Average age of first time mothers: female 22.23 @ 2019 30.9 @2019 (Italy 31.1 @2017) Age of first time mothers 35+: 22.3% © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 2 Facing widespread population aging, people naturally consider applying technologies for the care of older adults • The priority is not to develop hi-end • Use technology to support the caregivers technologies or products for the future, To reduce their care burden and but to implement existing technological improve quality of care products in daily applications NOW. To provide the economic drive to the society -- keep the informal • Technology should be used not only to caregivers staying at their job support long-term care, but also to positions enhance the physical and cognitive wellness of healthy older adults to prolong their independent, healthy life expectancy. © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 3 3G’s for the aged society: Gerontology, Geriatrics, Gerontechnology • First International Congress on Gerontechnology, 1991 • International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG), 1997 “Design technology and environment for independent living and social participation of older persons in good health, comfort and safety” • Scope of Gerontechnology: Health, Housing, Mobility, Communication, Leisure, Work © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 4 Gerontechnology is only valuable if we can bring research to daily applications A design approach to gerontechnology: Creativity ➔Prototypes ➔Products ➔Sales Est. 2003 Innovative Product Commercialization Development Program Design Thinking Transdisciplinary SEDA G-Tech Research & education program Development Transdisciplinary Smart Living Education IoT Gerontechnology New Taipei City Gerontechnology Mission: To carry out a successful industrial and educational experimentOfficial Journal of the ISG 福祉科技與 Gerontechnology International 服務管理學刊 Industry-Academia Society for Industry-academia Alliance Gerontechnology International collaboration academic exchange © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 5 What exactly do people do in Gerontechnology? • My (unscientific) classification of the 86 3. Platforms for social communication and papers published in Gerontechnology, participation of older adults from 2017~2020, average 235.4 10 papers (11.6%), 243.2 downloads downloads per paper (data collected 4. Technology interventions for enhancing 2020/10/09) physical and cognitive ability 13 papers (15.1%), 258.7 downloads 1. Monitoring of vital signs / behavior 5. Robots for senior care patterns, and platforms for health management 4 papers (4.7%), 224.0 downloads 18 papers (20.9%), 205.3 downloads 6. General issues: design methodology, education, culture, business, policy, etc. 2. Technology assistance for everyday lives for older adults and caregivers 23 papers (26.7%), 238.2 downloads 18 papers (20.9%), 243.3 downloads © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 6 The whole IoT environment is the robot?! • Ambient intelligence: Everyday environments that are sensitive and responsive to the presence of human Monitoring of vital signs / behavior patterns, and platforms for health management Technology assistance for everyday lives for older adults and caregivers Platforms for social communication and participation of older adults The physical “robot” is a user interface with the ambient intelligence for older adults and caregivers. © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 7 A simple telehealth system based on WhizConnect Connect older adults with family members MQTT Broker Cloud Server Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 3G/4G Bluetooth IoT gateway Bluetooth Android App BP/BG Measurement Indoor localization temperature/humidity © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 8 The son is the trigger to enable the behavior Toilet Get ready to bed Watching TV Lunch Breakfast Get up Supporting the caregivers: Care, interaction, Toilet connection, in addition to health monitoring © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 9 Smart technologies that belong to the home (not high end technologies…) • Bluetooth, mobile device • 2015: IoT; 2017: NB-IoT; 2019: ML/AI • Mattress, floor mat, chair cushion… Cloud AI: pattern recognition 3rd Party service cloud Edge AI: event identification © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 10 Implementing Machine Learning – starting from the bed • WhizPad is an extremely comfortable mattress made by pressure-relieve material for the prevention of pressure ulcers. • Machine Learning to capture the intention of the patient leaving the bed to prevent hospital falls. • Motion sensing with 30 sensing areas, ML classification of lying/sitting/left edge/right edge • Edge AI: Neural Network model deployed on chip • Three-stage leave bed alert: sit-up, sitting at the side, leave bed. • Cloud AI: Living pattern recognition, sleep quality Taipei Veteran Hospital © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 11 Technology interventions for enhancing physical and cognitive ability • Non-pharmacological intervention Cognitive ADL BPSD for preventing cognitive decline in Cognitive training + + + older adults Cognitive rehabilitation + + + Cognitive stimulation therapy + + + • Physical activity (PA) is known Snoezelen/multisensory + + + to improve cognitive function at Reality orientation + + + older age. Reminiscence therapy + − + Validation therapy + − + • In a meta analysis of 41studies, Physical activity + + + combined PA + CA (cognitive Light therapy + − + activity) intervention showed Music therapy + − + significantly larger gains in Aromatherapy − − + cognition relative to the control Animal-assisted therapy − − + Takeda et al. (2012) group (Gheysen et. al, 2018). Exercise is good, but… © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 12 Physical activity + cognitive activity + fun technology Mother Hsu’s new problem • Play comes first: Serious game design • Bring the “gerontechnology gym” to the older adults to create peer encouragement. © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 13 No screens – guiding physical and cognitive activities with lights and sounds Moto Tiles Blaze Pod Treax pads WhizTouch Game oplate SODA © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 14 • Start-up company founded in April 2016, at the age of 53… B2B2C合作企業 B2B2C 消費者 • 8 co-founders are students graduated Consumers from the research center 電子商E-Commerce務 Sales channels百貨通路 Smart電子元件、資訊服務 technologies 世大智科 世大化成 Product產品開發 Design Manufacturing硬體生產 床墊、巧拼、坐墊等Consumer products 技術研發、人才培育R&D, education © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 15 The future world needs transdisciplinary talents Transdisciplinary learning Real world problems and experience “Design” is our common language! Design starts with a problem. Design ends with a solution. DESIGN IS A PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS Thank you Yeh-Liang Hsu, [email protected] © GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 16.
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