VictoryaHome

Be Well – VictoryaHome – Create Possibilities; this is the vision of a project that does not depend on automated functions, but augments them with immediate human presence when needed or desired by older adults or their caregivers.

What if at Irene’s home there was a robot that “knows” what is happening with her in the house and share this knowledge with her carers? It does not tell all it knows, but will let them know when there might be a problem. The robot knows its user, if she took medication and when, whether she is taking enough water, what her activity level is or if she has fallen down and it can automatically call for help.

At this stage the carer can come in the house “virtually” using the tele-presence function. The robot will put in Irene’s hands the responsibility of drinking water more frequently, taking the medicines on time and being more active. She knows this will let her carers stay informed regarding key status indicators and activities, showing she is OK so that the carers will feel greater confidence.

The tele-presence function of the robot is the starting point and it will be expanded with additional services. This will be done based upon an iterative design process with older adults, informal carers, formal carers and other stakeholders. Four trials will take place in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Portugal where older adults at home will interact with remote informal carers and professional carers using the developed VictoryaHome services.