(eng)aging! 2021 virtual conference -- technologies for

© GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved. 1

(eng)aging! 2021 Virtual Conference -- Technologies for Active and Independent Living in Old Age

Gerontechnology Landscape and Opportunities-- Start-up experience from Taiwan

CEO

Yeh-Liang Hsu, 徐業良Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department

Director, Gerontechnology Research CenterYuan Ze University, Taiwan 元智大學

Editor-in-Chief, Gerontechnology2021/02/11

© GRC, YZU. All Rights Reserved.

Aging boom, baby bust – How technology can help?

• Taiwan became an aged society in 2018, and is expected to become a super aged society by 2025.

🡺Implement existing technological products in daily applications NOW.

• Life expectancy at age 65: Male 18.59 / female 22.23 @ 2019

• Disability-adjusted Life Year: 8.4 @ 2019

🡺Use technology to enhance the physical and cognitive wellness of healthy older adults to prolong their independent, healthy life expectancy.

• Total fertility rate by World Population Review 2020 ⬥ Taiwan: 1.218 (199/199)

• Negative natural population growth in 2020

🡺Use technology to support caregivers, to reduce their care burden and improve quality of care, and to provide the economic drive to society and industry

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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

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A design approach to gerontechnology:Creativity 🡺Prototypes 🡺Products 🡺Sales

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Est. 2003

Gerontechnology is only valuable if we can bring research to daily applications

The time is NOW


What exactly do people do in Gerontechnology?

• My (unscientific) classification of the 112 papers published in Gerontechnology from 2017~2020, average 224.2 downloads per paper (data collected 2021/02/09)

1. Monitoring of vital signs / behavior patterns, and platforms for health management⬥ 23 papers (20.5%), 208.2 downloads

2. Technology assistance for everyday lives for older adults and caregivers⬥ 20 papers (17.9%), 257.2 downloads

3. Platforms for social communication and participation of older adults⬥ 15 papers (13.4%), 213.9 downloads

4. Technology interventions for enhancing physical and cognitive ability⬥ 19 papers (17.0%), 216.3 downloads

5. Robots for senior care⬥ 7 papers (6.3%), 170.7 downloads

6. General issues: design methodology, education, culture, business, policy, etc.⬥ 28 papers (25.0%), 238.2 downloads

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Ambient intelligence: Everyday environments that are sensitive and responsive to the presence of human


Smart technologies that belong to the home (not high end technologies…)

• Bluetooth, mobile device• Mattress, floor mat, chair cushion…

Edge AI: event identification

Cloud AI: pattern recognition

3rd Party service cloud

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How technology can be accepted as a natural part of older adults’ everyday lives in the homes?

NB-IoT: the last mile to the homes


Implementing Machine Learning – starting from the bed

• WhizPad is a comfortable mattress made by temperature-sensitive pressure-relieve foam to prevent from pressure ulcers.

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Taipei Veteran Hospital

• Motion sensing with 30 sensing areas.• Machine Learning to capture the intention of the patient leaving

bed to prevent hospital falls by the three-stage leave bed alert. • Edge AI: Neural Network model deployed on chip• Cloud AI: Living pattern recognition, sleep quality

The most attractive feature to the caregivers is, WhizPad is also a BLE device powered by two AAA batteries


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.

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No screens – guiding physical and cognitive activities with lights and sounds

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SODA

Treax pads

oplate

Blaze Pod

Moto Tiles


The future world needs transdisciplinary talents

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Yeh-Liang Hsu, [email protected]

Thank you

Transdisciplinary learningReal world problems and experience

“Design” is our common language!

• Start-up company founded in April 2016, at the age of 53…

• 8 co-founders are students graduated from the research center

(eng)aging! 2021 virtual conference -- technologies for

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