contents
In an apartment in St. Gallen, researchers are working on simple and complex solutions for the elderly and people with dementia.
From the outside? A normal house with apartments, maybe offices or medical practices, in the middle of downtown St. Gallen. From inside? An ordinary apartment at first glance, through an open door you can catch a glimpse of a room.
At second glance, cables are hanging in some places, a button here, a switch there. It quickly becomes clear that technology is being tinkered with here. Technology that could help older people in their everyday lives. The Fachhochschule OST rents this apartment and uses it as a lecture hall and laboratory in one. Here is the so-called SimDeC, where students are taught under the Competence Center for Dementia.
The lock is already noticeable at the entrance, it is motorized. An elderly person only has to press a button and the door is open or closed. Pushing a key into a lock or finding the strength to turn it – the first hurdles can already arise in everyday life.
«For us, the engine may be noise. But when I see it as a sign of freedom, when I can unlock the door effortlessly, it’s music to my ears,” says Josef Huber, head of SimDeC.
Acceptance of those affected in the foreground
During the tour, which was carried out as part of a roadshow on aging research, it is striking that it is often the details that stand out. Everything can be seen, from everyday objects to high-tech robots and virtual reality glasses.
A look inside the high-tech apartment
In a room, a robotic head peeks out on top of a box. A deceptively real face peers into the room. Huber explains that the tinkering is always based on the credo of acceptance of the person with dementia. Does the elderly accept or reject the technical assistance? How does an aid have to be “packaged” to increase acceptance?
Watch out for the cable
In the bedroom, a string of lights under the bed catches the eye. Thanks to a sensor, it lights up as soon as someone gets up from the bed. It is a night light and serves as an example of often pragmatic and simple requirements for technical aids: No cable should be hanging down so that it doesn’t interfere with vacuuming.
«As a scientist, I pay attention to the brightness or the color of the light. The technology is good enough for that. But the negative aspects of technology must not dominate everyday life,” explains Huber.
Fall sensors and tape
The floorboard in the bedroom is covered all around with a black stripe. These are sensors designed to detect when someone falls. But does the alarm go off if, for example, a towel is on the floor? Huber says they are ruthless when it comes to testing. We are also open to simple solutions.
There’s a knife next to red electrical tape in the kitchen. The background: A woman with dementia could no longer see the cutlery on the table due to impaired perception. The researchers then wrapped red insulating tape around the knife handle, and the problem was solved. Science can be that simple.
“No problem is too small or too banal to solve,” says Huber. That is the important thing about research. Any technology is only good if it helps people. Whether a robot, sensor or a simple adhesive tape.
Tour Geneva with robots
The roadshow, led by the Institute for Age Research of the OST, which wants to bring technology closer to people, is touring through Switzerland after starting in St. Gallen: Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, Geneva and Lugano are on the program until Tuesday.