Silicon Valley is a fast-moving hotbed of technological development south of San Francisco, but for too long its innovations have only served the needs and desires of Millennials, its own working-age demographicOpens a new window , while ignoring elderly Baby Boomers entering retirement.
People 65 and older will see their ranks increase to 95 million by 2060, constituting nearly one-quarter of the US population, according to Census Bureau projections. The American Association of Retired Persons saidOpens a new window the 115 million Americans now aged 50 and older represent a vast technology market that will spend $84 billion on tech products by the end of the 2020s.
Older people could arguably benefit the most from smart gadgets, but often find smartphones and touchscreens unintuitive and difficult to navigate, particularly if they suffer from some degree of memory loss.
While there have been interesting ideas like bulky airbags worn around the hips or smart tracking shoes to make life easier for the elderly, these products might not be appealing or practical for everyday use and have not been popular.
Increasingly, however, new developments, from voice recognition for home appliances to robot companions for the lonely shut-ins, seem to indicate the tide is turningOpens a new window .
Varied Solutions
A team of researchers at Keio University in Japan recently unveiled a robotic tail called ArqueOpens a new window which they hope can help unsteady older people from falling and breaking fragile bones. While it sits firmly in the incongruous camp of wearable innovations, the grey one-meter-long device which is worn around the waist could also be used in challenging environments such as construction, the team says.
By adding the tail that humans lost during evolution, Arque imitates the appendages that animals like cheetahs use to balance themselves while running.
Other recent developments might be less likely to bring out a senior’s stubborn streak.
Lanchuang, a Chinese start-up of smart-care home technologyOpens a new window aimed at supporting the country’s growing elderly population, has revealed its ambitions of gaining 1.5 million users by the end of the year, 12 million next year and 30 million in 2021.
Provided with a setup box, a webcam that connects with a television set and “Xiaoyi,†a voice assistant similar to Apple’s Siri, elderly Chinese can get access to telemedicine and an emergency call system, as well as paid-for services such as housekeeping and meal deliveries.
Several new tech products for the elderly appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,Opens a new window including:
- A wall-mounted monitor called Walabot, which uses radio waves to detect falls.
- A video-based assistant called the Addison Virtual Caregiver, whose female avatar can detect personal health issues and offer reminders for medications.
- A body suit called the Seismic which can enhance a user’s muscles and help them maintain posture.
Potential in Voice
K4Connect is another company that makes  technology available to the elderly coping with disabilities Opens a new window while living in a community or retirement-home setting. Its chief operating officer, Derek Holt, argues that older adults unfamiliar with the evolution of technology from flip phones to smartphones would prefer to skip straight to the latest innovations in voice-activated products.
Voice is set to be a key area of uptake among the elderly, he said, and they have seen 85% adoption rates in voice solutions in assisted living communities, as well as wellness products such as wristbands that track steps, heart rates or falls, and smart homesOpens a new window .
According to research company eMarketer, Americans 55 and older are the fastest-growing group of electronic wearable users, mainly because of the enhanced health features of the devices.
So while there is still a long way to go in finding the balance between making technology accessible as well as useful to the often change-resistant grey market, we at least appear to be moving in the right direction.