Problems, Products, Use Cases: In Home Mobility

The first meeting of the Longevity Explorer Circle: Smarthomes, Robots, AI took place on May 24, 2022. We discussed the plans for the circle and did two "segments" on problems, use cases, and products to get started. This segment was "In-Home Mobility" 

The Jan 17, 2023 discussion was about how to assist in the movement of items such as groceries and laundry within a home when using a walker or when experiencing physical limitations. We also discussed how Amazon Alexa could assist with this need. One of the attendees mentioned the book "Ask Alexa" that he had just written.

As we discussed the costs involved in the solutions, one attendee suggested that some people might consider that an advanced robot costing $30k might be reasonable as they may no longer have a car and are comfortable with a $300/month car payment. This could be similar to the "rent a robot" plan offered to businesses to help with staffing shortages.

We also did a "walkthrough" of using the TEL website to find articles dealing with this topic as well as how to post questions and receive answers.

The topic selected for the next meeting was "smart bathrooms," with the possibility of discussing needs & solutions for other rooms in a "Smart Home for Seniors" series.

 

The Needs:

* Easier access to cabinet shelves and appliances such as dishwashers and laundry washers/dryers. Bending over to an appliance or reaching up to shelves is an issue.

* A means to move items such as a laundry basket or a grocery bag around the home when using a walker

* A bathroom shower device to prevent scalding

 

The Products:

* @ 18:55, there was a presentation of several products that could fit the need to move items around the home.

  One DIY solution suggested adding remote-controlled motorized wheels to a cart.

  Another solution was a product shown at CES 2023 that was a motorized table that could be directed to bring items to a location within the home.

  A third solution was the addition of a shelf to an Amazon Astro robot that could be used to not only deliver to a location but could be used to follow you around the home.