Tag: ELDERLY

Share Since 2002, the NYPD has conducted over 50 raids on the same house in Brooklyn. Each time, it has made the same mistake, all thanks to one computer glitch. According to the New York Post, the whole snafu began in 2002, when police entered the Brooklyn address of Walter Martin, 83, and his wife Rose, 82, into an alert database. They originally used the address to run a test on the system, ...

Eternally youthful as we are here at Switched, we try not to spend too much time thinking about the day when we may have to get a hip replacement. But, thanks to a new Bluetooth-enabled 'smart hip,' getting old now seems more cyborg-asmic than ever. With the help of measuring sensors and actuators, the new, high-tech smart hip can not only monitor any potential implant problems, but can also help ...

In Japan, as in most of East Asia, the elderly have always enjoyed an "elevated" status in society. A new chair, however, makes that hierarchical tradition clearer -- and more literal -- than ever. Designed by researchers at Kobe University, a prototype chair unveiled at a recent Osaka robot fair uses a bed of air cushions and air-hockey-like jetstreams to hover above the ground and transport ...

GPS shoes can keep tabs on our beloved elderly relatives. High-tech clothing and complex home-monitoring systems can track their heart rates. But how do we remotely remind Grandpa to pick up his weekly supply of prune juice? A new robot named Robovie can do just that, and more. Developed by Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, Robovie is designed to accompany our ...

It's sleek, has four wheels, and looks like something Batman would ride, but this vehicle isn't meant for superheroes. This next-generation wheelchair will make life easier for the elderly and disabled. According to the AFP, the Japanese vehicle, called the Rodem, allows a rider to straddle the seat, steer with a joystick and motorcycle-style handles, and rest their knees and chest on cushions. ...

GPS-integration, it seems, is the pesto sauce of contemporary gadgetry; don't you remember several years ago when every restaurant with a glossy menu jumped on the pesto-wagon? We wound up with bizarre concoctions like pesto-glazed, blackened chicken fingers, and pesto guacamole served with cinnamon-dusted corn chips. GPS has given birth to just as many weird gadgets as pesto once did foodstuffs ...

A three-year research project at the University of Ulster could revolutionize the clothing industry, according to BBC News. Researchers are studying ways to equip clothing with electronic devices that could possibly monitor heart rates or automatically adjust the thermostat of a home. Professor Bryan Scotney told BBC News that the technology could greatly improve the lives of elderly folks who ...

Assistive technologies are old hat, but a team of researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington (among other institutions) is working to provide a more robust, all-inclusive option for elderly individuals who'd prefer to age gracefully within their own domiciles. In theory, sensors could be embedded throughout seniors' homes in order to "detect when the residents have sleepless nights or ...

Apparently the trendy magic cure during these '00s is video games. They've been used to rehabilitate stroke victims and wounded soldiers, make us smarter, stave off the effects of aging, help immigrants become naturalized citizens, and even lose weight. Now Allstate is looking to add "become a better driver" to the list of things video games help you do. The insurance giant is running a pilot ...

Elderly? Enfeebled? Just plain clumsy? Tokyo-based Prop has your back. Its newly announced personal, wearable airbag looks like a cool fanny-pack and weighs a mere 1.1 kilograms (2.4 pounds) -- but springs forth in one-tenth of a second when sensors detect you're headed for the floor, protecting your head and ass with two inflated bags that contain 3.9 gallons of gas each. Similar to the ...

Apparently not everyone at General Motors is toiling away in an attempt to get the Volt ready for its 2010 debut, as another sector of the outfit's R&D division is busy creating a windshield that will, at its core, enable us to stop running stuff over. The futuristic glass would utilize lasers, sensors and cameras in order to help drivers see the road's edge better, recognize obstructions ...

Unlike the Koreans, the Japanese are preparing to embrace our new robot overlords. In fact the Japanese are preparing to hand over their jobs to a mechanical work force. The Machine Industry Memorial Foundation, a Japanese think tank, says that by 2025 robots could be filling 3.5 million jobs formerly filled by a human. This isn't necessarily bad thing for friends across the Pacific. It seems ...

The older people get, the harder it is to drive -- reflexes slow, eyesight goes, and one's level of awareness drops as the years pass. These unfortunate realities of aging can make driving a potentially lethal proposition for those getting on in years (not to mention the drivers around them). Governments, however, are not about to start confiscating drivers licenses when people are old enough ...