Can infrastructure keep pace with Taiwan’s aging wave through innovation?
Can infrastructure keep pace with Taiwan’s aging wave through innovation?
Can infrastructure keep pace with Taiwan’s aging wave through innovation?
Embracing the Challenges of an Aging Taiwan with Innovation and Inspiration
Embracing the Challenges of an Aging Taiwan with Innovation and Inspiration
According to statistics from the National Development Council, currently, individuals aged 65 and above constitute approximately 17% of the population structure. Scholars estimate that by 2025, this figure will exceed 20%, signifying the impending arrival of a super-aging society. As the dependency ratio steadily increases, the demand for caregiving workforce grows tight, and labor costs continue to rise. Thus, the challenge of seamlessly integrating humanity with technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of care provided by long-term care and social welfare institutions emerges as a pressing topic that needs innovative thinking.
However, is Taiwan ready for this transition? Do the existing infrastructures sufficiently support Taiwan's aging population demands?
According to statistics from the National Development Council, currently, individuals aged 65 and above constitute approximately 17% of the population structure. Scholars estimate that by 2025, this figure will exceed 20%, signifying the impending arrival of a super-aging society. As the dependency ratio steadily increases, the demand for caregiving workforce grows tight, and labor costs continue to rise. Thus, the challenge of seamlessly integrating humanity with technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of care provided by long-term care and social welfare institutions emerges as a pressing topic that needs innovative thinking.
However, is Taiwan ready for this transition? Do the existing infrastructures sufficiently support Taiwan's aging population demands?
Elderly Welfare Technology / Smart Health Care
With the advancement of technology, the rise of artificial intelligence and robots, and the development and application of IoT, wearable devices, sensors, and the Internet, the smart healthcare industry is thriving. Among them, 'Elderly Welfare Technology' is defined by the International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG) as the design of technology and environments that enable the elderly to live independently in a healthy, comfortable, and safe manner while participating in society.
Elderly Welfare Technology is an emerging cross-disciplinary field that differs from the medical equipment or assistive device industries. The target user groups for elderly welfare technology products and services include healthcare professionals, patients, or individuals with disabilities, as well as elderly individuals and their children, families, and caregivers.
The purpose of designing elderly welfare technology products and services is not limited to medical care or disability assistance but broadly covers health, sub-health, residence, mobility, communication, leisure, and even work, encompassing all aspects of life. This aims to create more convenience for the elderly and aligns with the goal of aging prevention.
Currently, there are many related smart health care applications, such as home care systems, smart home rehabilitation systems, elderly companion robots, and environment-assisted living applications. However, applications in elevators are relatively less common. Although regulations require monthly inspections and periodic reviews for reissuing elevator usage permits, they cannot guarantee the prevention of accidents. Recent elevator incidents have been frequent (see supplement), particularly affecting disabled or elderly individuals who may find it challenging to call for help when trapped or unconscious. This is especially problematic when facing situations where they cannot call for help, fall unconscious, or if elevator management personnel cannot quickly understand the status of passengers inside the elevator.
Elderly Welfare Technology / Smart Health Care
With the advancement of technology, the rise of artificial intelligence and robots, and the development and application of IoT, wearable devices, sensors, and the Internet, the smart healthcare industry is thriving. Among them, 'Elderly Welfare Technology' is defined by the International Society for Gerontechnology (ISG) as the design of technology and environments that enable the elderly to live independently in a healthy, comfortable, and safe manner while participating in society.
Elderly Welfare Technology is an emerging cross-disciplinary field that differs from the medical equipment or assistive device industries. The target user groups for elderly welfare technology products and services include healthcare professionals, patients, or individuals with disabilities, as well as elderly individuals and their children, families, and caregivers.
The purpose of designing elderly welfare technology products and services is not limited to medical care or disability assistance but broadly covers health, sub-health, residence, mobility, communication, leisure, and even work, encompassing all aspects of life. This aims to create more convenience for the elderly and aligns with the goal of aging prevention.
Currently, there are many related smart health care applications, such as home care systems, smart home rehabilitation systems, elderly companion robots, and environment-assisted living applications. However, applications in elevators are relatively less common. Although regulations require monthly inspections and periodic reviews for reissuing elevator usage permits, they cannot guarantee the prevention of accidents. Recent elevator incidents have been frequent (see supplement), particularly affecting disabled or elderly individuals who may find it challenging to call for help when trapped or unconscious. This is especially problematic when facing situations where they cannot call for help, fall unconscious, or if elevator management personnel cannot quickly understand the status of passengers inside the elevator.
The smartification of elevators helps us promptly identify security blind spots.
When elevators integrate sensing devices, not only can we reduce accidents, but also prevention is better than cure. This gives us more golden time to provide immediate feedback. Below are the benefits that smart elevators can bring:
Smart Safety: In terms of smart safety, proactive detection features such as incapacitated rescue and trapped person assistance greatly enhance the management efficiency of elevator safety. For instance, special groups (e.g., people with disabilities, the elderly, children, etc.) currently need to press the emergency button and describe their situation when trapped in an elevator. With this system, the trapped status is detected through imagery, and the distress message is immediately sent to designated security personnel, initiating a video call to understand the situation and provide comfort.
Smart Friendliness: The smart friendliness aspect offers voice control and customized arrival notifications, enhancing the friendliness of current elevator environments through simple changes. For example, wheelchair users or those unfamiliar with the building can use voice commands like "Go to X floor." or "Go to XX room." to reach their destination. This is especially convenient for newcomers or people with cognitive disabilities and makes operation easier for wheelchair users.
Value Creation: Customizable functionalities tailored to specific environments can be integrated, with electronic bulletin boards serving as information delivery platforms. For example, custom voice broadcasts or health education promotion activities can loop inside the elevator, allowing for rapid operation and modifications based on current circumstances, enhanced by visual prompts.
Aging has become a significant issue in Taiwan. The government, businesses, and all sectors of society actively engage in related efforts. Utilizing technology to achieve safety and foster a friendly environment with "minimal changes" poses a major challenge ahead. Soaring Intelligence continues to advance in creating friendly elevators. We're proud that our developed LiFTMiND system officially became an auxiliary tool for warnings, instructions, and signals in 2023, and is listed with the "Ministry of Health and Welfare's Social and Family Affairs Agency Multifunctional Assistive Device Resource Integration and Promotion Center," making elevators the protector for all of us.
Additional Information:
Elevator doors suddenly closed! Owner of medical equipment store trapped to death ｜>TVBS News
Horrifying! Frequent elevator accidents suspected of "mechanical failure" in buildings ｜>Reporter Wen You-Lian and Wang Zi-Yu
Reference Materials:
Fang-Ming Wu (March 18, 2019). Smart long-term care, better elderly life. Kaohsiung City Government.
Zhi-Yuan Su (February 18, 2018). Smart Health. College of Humanities and Information Applications, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy & Science.
Ye-Liang Xu (2018). Development and innovation of smart technology in elderly care applications. Land and Public Governance Quarterly, 8(1).
The smartification of elevators helps us promptly identify security blind spots.
When elevators integrate sensing devices, not only can we reduce accidents, but also prevention is better than cure. This gives us more golden time to provide immediate feedback. Below are the benefits that smart elevators can bring:
Smart Safety: In terms of smart safety, proactive detection features such as incapacitated rescue and trapped person assistance greatly enhance the management efficiency of elevator safety. For instance, special groups (e.g., people with disabilities, the elderly, children, etc.) currently need to press the emergency button and describe their situation when trapped in an elevator. With this system, the trapped status is detected through imagery, and the distress message is immediately sent to designated security personnel, initiating a video call to understand the situation and provide comfort.
Smart Friendliness: The smart friendliness aspect offers voice control and customized arrival notifications, enhancing the friendliness of current elevator environments through simple changes. For example, wheelchair users or those unfamiliar with the building can use voice commands like "Go to X floor." or "Go to XX room." to reach their destination. This is especially convenient for newcomers or people with cognitive disabilities and makes operation easier for wheelchair users.
Value Creation: Customizable functionalities tailored to specific environments can be integrated, with electronic bulletin boards serving as information delivery platforms. For example, custom voice broadcasts or health education promotion activities can loop inside the elevator, allowing for rapid operation and modifications based on current circumstances, enhanced by visual prompts.
Aging has become a significant issue in Taiwan. The government, businesses, and all sectors of society actively engage in related efforts. Utilizing technology to achieve safety and foster a friendly environment with "minimal changes" poses a major challenge ahead. Soaring Intelligence continues to advance in creating friendly elevators. We're proud that our developed LiFTMiND system officially became an auxiliary tool for warnings, instructions, and signals in 2023, and is listed with the "Ministry of Health and Welfare's Social and Family Affairs Agency Multifunctional Assistive Device Resource Integration and Promotion Center," making elevators the protector for all of us.
Additional Information:
Elevator doors suddenly closed! Owner of medical equipment store trapped to death ｜>TVBS News
Horrifying! Frequent elevator accidents suspected of "mechanical failure" in buildings ｜>Reporter Wen You-Lian and Wang Zi-Yu
Reference Materials:
Fang-Ming Wu (March 18, 2019). Smart long-term care, better elderly life. Kaohsiung City Government.
Zhi-Yuan Su (February 18, 2018). Smart Health. College of Humanities and Information Applications, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy & Science.
Ye-Liang Xu (2018). Development and innovation of smart technology in elderly care applications. Land and Public Governance Quarterly, 8(1).
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LINE：@owlsome.tech
Smart Elevator Solutions
Robot-Elevator Integration
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© Owlsome Tech All Rights Reserved.
+886-2-7751-5356
service@owlsome.tech
12F, No. 37, Section 3, Minquan East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 104478, Taiwan (R.O.C)
LINE：@owlsome.tech
Smart Elevator Solutions
Robot-Elevator Integration
Latest Insights
© Owlsome Tech All Rights Reserved.
+886-2-7751-5356
service@owlsome.tech
12F, No. 37, Section 3, Minquan East Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 104478, Taiwan (R.O.C)
LINE：@owlsome.tech
Smart Elevator Solutions
Robot-Elevator Integration
Latest Insights
© Owlsome Tech All Rights Reserved.