An old age problem
Ageing populations are a key concern in European countries. The proportion of senior citizens, compared to younger age groups, is only expected to grow further in the following years. This will increase the number of people living with dependencies, such as long-term health conditions or mobility needs, intensifying concerns to care for citizens and demanding more funding and facilities than governments can currently provide.
Providing future generations with an affordable and efficient healthcare service requires a new wave of innovation in social care.
The impact of robots
Robots as assistive technologies constitute an emerging technological market. From supporting patients' cognitive abilities to providing remote monitoring and support in daily activities, assistive robots have the potential to change the way we perceive and treat a range of impairments and conditions.
At the University of Plymouth, our research is based on an understanding of actual patients and user needs to make useful innovations into social care.
Supporting independent living
This 2.5 million project funded by the European Regional Development Fund's Interreg 2 Mers programme aims to keep the ageing population independent for longer in their own or chosen home, increasing their quality of life and safety, and improving their environment.
AGE'IN is led by the Boulogne sur mer Développement Côte d'Opale (BDCO) in France. The project includes house adaptations and the development of a local ecosystem centred around the ageing population.
Scientific support and robotics
Led by Dr Marco Palomino, Lecturer in Information Systems and Big Data, the project involves state-of-the-art scientific research, access to robotic technology and dedicated researchers to evaluate innovative healthcare products and services.
The project collaborates with other AGE'IN partners to provide comprehensive reviews of technologies and improve the quality of the elderly generation.
Our evaluation support services will provide access to state-of-the-art technology for companies to test their products with lead users.
Benefit from UX and UI evaluation, technological support, development of pilots and demonstration of prototypes.
Our evaluation of assistive devices and robots will let us give you experience-based recommendations on products available in the market to support independent living.
Based on continuous market research and our work with pioneer companies in the field, AGE’IN will provide a comprehensive up-to-date review of technology to improve the lives of our elderly generation.
AGE’IN partners are experienced in facing common challenges within ageing, lack of actions towards the loss of autonomy and inappropriate housing conditions.
Pooling together resources and sharing knowledge and good practices are crucial to reducing the existing gap between France and the UK on one hand and Belgium and the Netherlands on the other hand, with respect to the share of housing appropriated for elderly.
Find out more about the Centre for Health TechnologyBringing together digital health and health technology expertise from across the University to drive the development, evaluation and implementation of innovative technologies, products, services and approaches to transform health and social care.
Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems (CRNS)The centre builds on world-leading excellence in computer science, robotics and neural systems research. Staff at the centre coordinate large projects and collaborate with major international centres in cognitive robotics and computational neuroscience.
