介绍:
In the future, those who are taking care of old or sick people may get help from the house itself.
Over the last few years, new technologies, such as the Internet, Wi-Fi and flat TV screens, have changed our homes and the way we live. Now, another technology revolution is happening. A new project at the University of Hertfordshire wants to create a home that supervises people living in it who are weak or elderly.
The researchers have developed a wristband device which helps us watch the elderly person who is wearing it. The device collects information to see if the person has fallen or has wandered away from where they should be.
The assisted-living project is part of the university’s wider Interhome project, which is the development of a smart house. The house remembers the habits of the person who lives there and it uses very small amounts of energy. The Interhome team hope that offering this service will help care for the elderly. They say, “It’s very important that these technologies are there to help and support and not to replace any of the existing services.”
The Interhome is not just a research method. It’s also a way for students from different scientific backgrounds to learn and develop technologies. The university uses the latest technologies to help students get experience by developing new hardware and software themselves. The team include design, engineering and computer science students working together.
“We are working on a smart home project in Watford with some companies at the moment,” says the project leader. “We are looking at how the smart home can provide even more services.” This could help millions of old people around the world have a better, safer life in the future.
