//Project
AA - Active Ageing
Design Enabled Innovation in Urban Spaces, funded by HORIZON 2020
The “Active-Ageing” project aims to create and market a smartphone application and information system to promote active mobility and walking, and social interaction, amongst elderly citizens. The “Active-Ageing” app is designed for the elderly and focuses on satisfying their needs, regarding active mobility and social activity. “Active-Ageing” collects and uses crowd-sourced information and other open data in relation to pedestrian conditions, amenities and social events in order to detect optimum routes for walking and possible social interactions.
With the “Active-Ageing” app, we can lessen vehicle use, and directly reduce gas emissions, pollution and climate change. Further, the “Active-Ageing” system provides recommendations about unsafe areas or paths that are difficult to walk through. The elderly can use this smartphone application system supported from
Information and Communication Technology (ICT), to plan their daily walks, without the stress to worry about encountering any inaccessible points in their walking routes. In addition, the smartphone application provides information concerning prevention of falls, as well as information about safe walking, preventing falls, enhancing balance and musculoskeletal strengthening by recommended exercises.
Figure 1 Screenshots of the “Active Ageing” app
Fig 1 shows screenshots from the “Active Ageing“ prototype application. As shown in the figure, the app has several features, such as the function of finding interesting places nearby, which range from amenities and parks to markets and cafe-restaurants, as well as open pharmacies, that are very important for the elderly. Further, there is a path recorder for communicating best walking routes, and an optimum route finder, based on safety, comfort and travel distance. Moreover, the “places to walk” feature provides information on safe and comfortable areas for walking. There is also a fitness feature for those interested in physical exercise. Moreover, the landmarks feature provides information on the location of nearby monuments.
Crowd-sourcing is achieved through the feature “Be an Active Citizen”, where users may report problems with a pedestrian network. Further, there are functions that provide information about events, the city’s air quality level, news, weather conditions, and other useful applications. We have also included gamification in the “Active Ageing” smartphone app with the “treasure hunt”, wheel of fortune and landmarks games. Further, a number of sponsor companies provide rewards in a form of discounts to “Active Ageing” users. Finally, there is an emergency button in case the user needs help.
As a result of the above features, the “Active-Ageing” system provides the most suitable routes, depending on the needs of our elderly people. If an elderly person requires the use of certain amenities, “Active-Ageing” will provide information about the location of the amenities along the route of choice. By doing so, elderly citizens will feel comfortable to use pedestrian routes and thus they will be physically and socially active. Further, the “Active -Ageing” system motivates its users the via functional games to interact dynamically and enjoy the urban spaces. Through the use of “Active-Ageing” in many cities, a plethora of benefits can be achieved for the economy, the environment, and most of all, the quality of life.