Robot Caregivers Help the Elderly
From: Medical Design Technology - 05/05/2014

Our life expectancy lengthens and members of the "silver generation" make up
an ever-larger proportion of the population. Can technologies help us in
caring for ourselves, our older relatives and friends? Could we learn to live
together with robots while being watched over by sensors? The people behind
one EU research project certainly think so.

GIRAFF+ is an EU research project to test how a network of sensors in
cooperation with a robot can help older people live safer, more independent
lives and enjoy social life from their home. The star of the system is
Giraff, a telepresence robot. It moves around the person’s home and enable
them to interact with family, friends and healthcare professionals via
videoconference. The GIRAFF+ system comes with sensors throughout the home
and in wearable devices. These sensors are designed to detect activities like
cooking, sleeping, or watching television, but they also provide medical
information, like blood pressure and body temperature. They allow the
person's carers to remotely monitor their wellbeing and to check for falls. 

Read the entire article and view a video (3:59) at:
http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2014/05/robot-caregivers-help-elderly

Links:
GIRAFF+
http://www.giraffplus.eu/

Sensor-Based, Robotic System Aims to Increase Older Adult Independence
http://www.rehabpub.com/2014/05/according-researchers-brain-cognitive-reserve-may-provide-long-term-protective-effect-cognitive-decline-multiple-sclerosis-ms-patients/

Policies for Ageing Well with ICT
http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/ageing-well

Robot Care Giver Offers Company and Security to 94-Year-Old Grandmother (with video 2:39)
http://www.mdtmag.com/videos/2014/07/robot-care-giver-offers-company-and-security-94-year-old-grandmother