Sentence, a unique shared smart walker which can be utilized in a retirement community. It’s a walker that assists elderly people in going in and out of meeting people, it would be really useful for those who suffer dementia and aging. Unfortunately, in aging progresses worldwide, the prevalence of dementia also increases. In the future, there’s high possibility that we can find many village-sized senior retirement community where many elderly people cohabitate to reduce loneliness in their senior years. In this community, together with care givers, they can also help each other to keep their mental well-being, especially those with dementia or slower movements.
Sentence Public Walker has been designed with smart AI technology. We know that to slow down the symptoms of aging and dementia, we need more physical and social activities. Some typical activities for elderly people would be to go out for a walk with friends, family, or neighbours. However, due to their health, they are often afraid to go out due to decreased memory and physical condition such as stiff joints. The role of a caregiver is necessary, including mobility tool such as shared bikes or walkers.
Designed by Junhyung Kwon, Sentence is a smart walker that provides convenient and stable walking by lowering the center of gravity through intersection of curves. Furthermore, a hinge-folding structure is used for the intersection of the curve to make it easier to fold in / out this walker when needed. There are dual cameras at the front, allowing the system to observe its environment and help user navigate their way through the display screen. Many of elderly people prefer to look down when walking, to make sure that they avoid hazards they might trip on. The interface of this display rotates to user’s gaze where text and environment at the front is captured for user without interference in walking.
From researches, the designer found out that one thing we can preserve for a relatively long time when other sensory functions are deteriorated due to aging is a linguistic sense. It means that elderly people still can read and analyse sentences without a problem (as long as they still have good eyesight). That’s why the screen will display multiple sentences to deliver essential information to its user. There are two buttons used to execute physical action, one for height adjustment and the other for folding function.
