Project Rationale

Demographic and epidemiologic transitions have brought a new health care paradigm with the presence of both growing elderly population and chronic diseases (Lee, 2011). Life expectancy is increasing as well as the need for long-term care. Institutional care for the aged population faces economical struggles with low staffing ratios and consequent quality problems (Kash et al., 2007; Weech-Madonado et al., 2004).

Although the aforementioned implications of ageing impose societal challenges, at the same time technical advancements in ICT, including robotics, bring new opportunities for the ageing population of Europe, the healthcare systems, as well as the European companies providing relevant technology and services at the global scale. The full realization of this technological potential depends on

• Concrete evidence for the benefits for all stakeholders, including the elderly end-users and their formal and informal care givers (secondary end-users), as well as the health care system
• Safety of and acceptability by the end-users
• Cost-effectiveness in acquisition and maintenance, reliability, and flexibility in being able to meet a range of needs and societal expectations
• The provision of functionalities that can reduce admissions and days spent in care institutions, and prolong the time spent living in own home.

In RADIO, we will develop an integrated smart home/assistant robot system, pursuing a novel approach to acceptance and unobtrusiveness: a system where sensing equipment is not discrete but an obvious and accepted part of the user’s daily life. By using the integrated smart home/assistant robot system as the sensing equipment for health monitoring, we mask the functionality of the sensors rather than the sensors themselves. In this manner, sensors do not need to be discrete and distant or masked and cumbersome to install; they do however need to be perceived as a natural component of the smart home/assistant robot functionalities.

Partners

• National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”
• Technical Educational Institute of Western Greece
• Ruhr Universitaet Bochum
• Robotnik Automation SLL
• Sensing & Control Systems S.L.
• AVN Innovative Technology Solutions Ltd.
• Fondazione Santa Lucia
• Fundació Hospital Asil de Granollers
• Frontida Zois