104 research outputs found
“Smart furniture ‘listening’ to your body!” – Designing an assistive ‘hub’ to support independent ageing
No full textAn aging population and increased longevity leads to accompanying economic and healthcare challenges1. According to WHO, appropriate and timely measures can minimize health care expenditure by supported self-care and home-care services5. Technology-driven interventions integrated in the physical environment can play a key role to measure and detect health problems at an earlier stage, decrease the costs of caring and reduce the physical and emotional burden on family members and caregivers6. Effective smart home technology will have increasing significance to health and social care, whilst offering the ability to monitor daily living as well as detect and predict changes in daily routines2,3. Whilst the potential of such technologies to enable older adults to remain living independently for longer is broadly recognised, there are still questions around acceptability and sustainability4. We argue that to improve adoption and acceptance by the end-user, further investigation is required of the wants, needs, and attitudes of older adults towards smart assistive technologies. Findings should then inform development from the design concept stage through the development and evaluation process. This paper will describe the user research undertaken as part of the large-scale and multi-disciplinary EU funded project MATUROLIFE. We will outline the process involved in developing smart furniture that seeks to capture and make use of health and well-being data to enable ageing in place. Method Thirty-seven older adults aged 65 and above were interviewed to understand their needs, preferences and views on independence, health concerns and determine design requirements. Six co-creation workshops were then undertaken with older adults to prioritize design requirements and develop smart design concept. The project is highly multidisciplinary bringing together older adult participants with product and furniture designers, human factor and material scientists, and also sensor and electronics technologists to share knowledge, and enable open innovation and collaboration. Results & Discussion The interviews and co-design activities indicated that older adults would prioritise issues associated with poor sleep patterns, remaining physically active, fear of falling, being unsteady on their feet, and fear of not reaching help if needed, when seeking to design new technology. In order to address these priorities, the design of a smart sofa with an assistive ‘hub’ to support the sit-stand movement and enable old adults remaining active and mobile was scoped out during the workshops. It would detect and record physical presence in conjunction with vital signs (i.e. breathing) with alerting support network, as well as encouraging a positive sleep routine. It was identified that, as well as smart functionality, the sofa should offer stylish and comfortable addition to the home. The concept prototype is currently under development and will combine smart textiles with sensor technologies to provide valuable information and services to the user and those that care for and support them
Cultural Differences as Challenges and Design Drivers in the Development of Smart Assistive Technology for an Ageing Society
No full textCultural differences are important in terms of working processes and practices, and in order to achieve innovation and market success. The MATUROLIFE project is seeking to explore, understand, and embed cultural differences when designing smart assistive products to improve the independence of older adults. As a case study, the project explores cultural differences between user groups and stakeholders in different European countries, as well as in the collaboration of partners from different disciplines and organizations. Co-creation and service design have been employed to mediate these differences. The case study outlines a design management process that has accommodated scientific innovation and complexity whilst acknowledging cultural diversity in end-users and between disciplines and partners. This paper demonstrates how design can be understood as a culturally situated practice where cross-cultural differences can provide challenges but are also opportunities to drive changes in practice, innovation and enable positioning in a European wide market
Colour Design and Implementation of SMART Mood Changing Clothing
No full textBased on wearable electronics, colour changing materials and mood changing technologies are integrated to explore the concept of smart ambience in this paper, where the user with the intimate environment can respond interactively.Stimulated by the wearer’s voice, responsive colour changing properties have been designed and developed in SMART clothingwhich aim at integrating aesthetics and functionality by optimizingclothing design for developing the new concept of SMART mood changing system. With the ability of expressing mood states, colour changing acts in unison with sound changing to create dynamic and automatic lighting modes in our SMARTclothing system
Challenges and Opportunities for Use of Smart Materials in Designing Assistive Technology Products with, and for Older Adults
Get PDFDespite the potential to support ageing in place, there is still low Assistive Technology (AT) uptake among older adults. Smart Materials (SMs) have the potential to play an important role in AT innovation without detracting from the aesthetic appearance and ease of use. The MATUROLIFE project aims to develop enhanced AT products for older adults by employing smart metallised textiles, through a design process involving older adult users and collaborating within a complex interdisciplinary space. This paper outlines research undertaken to capture the prioritised needs and design requirements of older adults, as well as their expectations of future technologies and understanding of SMs. Following interviews with older adults exploring AT acceptance, 94 older adults were engaged in a series of co-creation workshops. The findings emphasise a strong need to feel independent yet safe in older adulthood, and an uncompromised requirement to be fashionable without stigma and stereotypes. The participants demonstrated no resistance to the adoption of smart materials and technologies if they are integrated into AT products that are easy to use, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, irrespective of the complexity and novelty of the technology involved
Challenging stigma by embodying smart functionalities and fashion in assistive clothing co-designed with older adults
No full textDespite awareness of the impact of ageing, age-related stereotypes are still embedded and reinforced in our culture. The MATUROLIFE project aims to develop assistive technology (AT) to support independent ageing and well-being with a particular focus on addressing the stigma often associated with use of an assistive device. As well as the focus on innovation and technological development, the project provides learning opportunities for fashion design students, providing exposure to new materials and the application of user-centred design for older adults.This paper will outline how smart textile solutions have been co-designed with older adults across nine European countries. Semi-structured interviews and co-creation workshops were undertaken to prioritise user needs, establish priorities, and inform the design and development of assistive clothing. As well as guiding the design work, the user research has informed higher education experiences. The paper will outline how fashion design students have taken part in workshop activities to develop designs that embed smart technology whilst prioritising the needs of older end-users.The resulting designs demonstrate that innovation in smart technology coupled with a sensitive design approach can result in clothing that is assistive whilst addressing the psychological and social impact of ageing as well as the associated stigma of using AT. Project-based and research-informed teaching offers a new generation of designers collaborative design and innovation capabilities that should enable them to design for different ages
Colour Design and Implementation of SMART Mood Changing Clothing
No full textBased on wearable electronics, colour changing materials and mood changing technologies are integrated to explore the concept of smart ambience in this paper, where the user with the intimate environment can respond interactively.Stimulated by the wearer’s voice, responsive colour changing properties have been designed and developed in SMART clothingwhich aim at integrating aesthetics and functionality by optimizingclothing design for developing the new concept of SMART mood changing system. With the ability of expressing mood states, colour changing acts in unison with sound changing to create dynamic and automatic lighting modes in our SMARTclothing system
Colour Design and Implementation of SMART Mood Changing Clothing
No full textBased on wearable electronics, colour changing materials and mood changing technologies are integrated to explore the concept of smart ambience in this paper, where the user with the intimate environment can respond interactively.Stimulated by the wearer’s voice, responsive colour changing properties have been designed and developed in SMART clothingwhich aim at integrating aesthetics and functionality by optimizingclothing design for developing the new concept of SMART mood changing system. With the ability of expressing mood states, colour changing acts in unison with sound changing to create dynamic and automatic lighting modes in our SMARTclothing system
Challenging stigma by embodying smart functionalities and fashion in assistive clothing co-designed with older adults
No full textDespite awareness of the impact of ageing, age-related stereotypes are still embedded and reinforced in our culture. The MATUROLIFE project aims to develop assistive technology (AT) to support independent ageing and well-being with a particular focus on addressing the stigma often associated with use of an assistive device. As well as the focus on innovation and technological development, the project provides learning opportunities for fashion design students, providing exposure to new materials and the application of user-centred design for older adults.This paper will outline how smart textile solutions have been co-designed with older adults across nine European countries. Semi-structured interviews and co-creation workshops were undertaken to prioritise user needs, establish priorities, and inform the design and development of assistive clothing. As well as guiding the design work, the user research has informed higher education experiences. The paper will outline how fashion design students have taken part in workshop activities to develop designs that embed smart technology whilst prioritising the needs of older end-users.The resulting designs demonstrate that innovation in smart technology coupled with a sensitive design approach can result in clothing that is assistive whilst addressing the psychological and social impact of ageing as well as the associated stigma of using AT. Project-based and research-informed teaching offers a new generation of designers collaborative design and innovation capabilities that should enable them to design for different ages
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