AHEAD aims at increasing the quality of life of elderly by assisting them for keeping an active and independent life.
Hearing, eye-sight, memory, and coordination all decrease as a person is getting older. To improve quality of life of elderly, their lost senses could be technologically enhanced but unfortunately, most elderly have reservations regarding technology. Therefore, this proposal aims to make use of devices that elderly people have already adopted: eyeglasses and hearing aid.
The integration and combination of advanced and innovative sensing as well as ICT based modules will result in a completely new and innovative product (and services). Both the eyeglasses and the typical hearing aid will embed a microphone.
The hearing aid will not only be voice-controlled but will also become a communication device. As health management is important, the modified hearing aid will be able to measure vital signs such as heart rate, oxygen saturation and core body temperature. These measurements could also be used for detecting the emotional state of the user and act against depression. Finally, a 3D inertial sensor would record general activity and risky postural behaviours. Our assistant will be wirelessly connected to a smartphone and be a part of a smart living environment. This can be used for compliance or for connecting the hearing aid to home automation systems and provide complementary services such as personal alarms (extension or replacement of the social alarm button), medication reminders, house warning, cooking and financial management assistance verbally conveyed into the wearer’s ear.