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The number of adults over age 85 is set to triple worldwide over the next 40
years. By 2030 the U.S. Census Bureau expects the number of people
living with disabilities to grow from 60 million to 75 million. “Many
will need physical, emotional, and cognitive assistance,” says the
University of Southern California’s (USC) Maja Mataric, PhD, a professor
and the senior associate dean for research computer science at the Viterbi School of Engineering. “The age pyramid is becoming a rectangle,
with as many old as younger people. This is where technology must step
in and help.”
What does this mean? The timing is right for assistive
technologies to enable aging in place according to Athan Bezaitis,
MA writing for Aging Well Magazine. "Scientists envision a day
when it will be no surprise to find a grandmother living with a
household robot like uBot-5, developed at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst, which helps her lift things, uses a stethoscope
to check her vitals, dials 911, and provides video conferencing to keep
her in contact with the outside world. While it costs around $65,000 to
construct in the labs, its creators anticipate a $2,000 price tag for
mass production. Compare this rate with the cost of human caregivers
that can easily exceed $1,000 per week, and the savings become clear."
A selection of products currently in development and on the drawing board include:
- NavPrescience: a smart driving assistant (watch
video on blog)
-
Ishoe: detects balance problems
- MemExerciser: for people with age-related episodic or mild memory
loss
- Mobina: a wheelchair that can either carry users or act as
porter for those who prefer to walk
- Socially Assistive Robots: designed to act as companions and coaches
Bryan Adams, PhD, principal investigator at I-Bot sees "particular
promise in robots that assist with medical compliance and cognitive
wellness. He also sees potential for caregivers in a mobile robot that
allows users to communicate through video with the outside world."
Other countries are leading the United States in the development and
integration of assistive technologies. Part of it has to do with
funding. Governments in Europe, Japan and Korea invest in research and
development of robotics for healthcare. U.S. robotic funding is directed
to the military.
Related Story:
Real Time Control Of Wheelchair With Brain Waves
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