A smart everyday device becomes an assistance system in emergency situations

In the ‘Smart Companion’ project, researchers at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences developed a smart vacuum cleaner robot that helps older, single people in emergency situations. Senior citizens in the Samaritan Federation’s sheltered housing in Linz tested a prototype for functionality and acceptance.

According to statistics, one third of all people over 65 years of age fall over once a year. The older people get, the higher the risk of falling. This can lead to injuries, especially in older people. At the same time, we want to live independently at home well into old age. Researchers at the Institute of Creative\Media/Technologies at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences have made a standard vacuum-cleaning robot more intelligent in order to help older people in their daily lives and in emergency situations. The so-called ‘Smart Companion’ can detect falls and call an ambulance in an emergency.

‘We don’t want single people to lie helplessly on the floor for hours. So we set out to develop an everyday device that can provide prompt assistance in such situations,’ emphasises project manager Andreas Jakl from the Department of Media and Digital Technologies at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences.

Prototype developed and tested

The project team built a working prototype. The widely used vacuum-cleaning robots, which are equipped with many sensors, detect people who have fallen over. The person who has fallen can communicate with a voice assistant such as Alexa and get help in an emergency. Both applications are considered acceptable to the population. In a large-scale test, the smart vacuum robot operated independently for six months in the apartments of senior citizens in sheltered housing run by the Samaritan Federation in Linz.

‘The system has proven itself in everyday life. The robot kept the apartments clean – which promoted acceptance – and people appreciated it because it could help in emergencies. Data protection and privacy were particularly important to us: the system was approved by an independent ethics committee,’ says Jakl.

Strong partners

Robert Bosch AG played a major role in the development of the AI and, as a European manufacturer of household appliances and smart home systems, is very important for the practical relevance. The Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB), Linz group, operates a home emergency call system with proven wristbands. The ASB is very interested in innovations that can further increase user acceptance. The Academy for Gerontology at the Haus der Barmherzigkeit has an enormous amount of knowledge in the care and nursing of older people as well as the ethical dimensions.

About Smart Companion

The research project Smart Companion was implemented by the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences together with Robert Bosch AG, the Arbeiter Samariter Bund (ASB), Linz group, and the Academy for Gerontology at the Haus der Barmherzigkeit. Smart Companion was funded by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) as part of the ‘ICT of the Future’ programme. Further information can be found on the research website (https://research.fhstp.ac.at/projekte/smart-companion-2).