This Grand Challenges Research Project focuses on improving the health, wellbeing, and independence of individuals with reduced capacity due to illness or advanced age.
Approximately 15 to 20 percent of people age 65 or older have some form of memory loss. Voice-based conversational agents can revolutionize health care, enabling elderly who are aging in place to maintain dignity and independence.
In response, University of Minnesota researchers are developing and deploying novel, personalized technology that integrates conversational voice assistants with wearable sensors and smart-textile clothing technology. This integrated technology provides real-time, in-home, unobtrusive sensing and on-body stimulation solutions (e.g., pressure, heat, etc.).
The project brings together an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students in computer science, apparel design, wearable technology, cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics, nursing, and pharmacy. Our team is collaborating on a transformative framework for individually tailored detection and management of mental stress and anxiety in everyday life. These stressors are a major risk factor for heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, obesity, addiction, and more.