For a technologist today, there is a feeling that almost any product you can conceptualize can be developed, thanks to astonishing advances in communications, computing power, robotics, 3D printing and other futuristic technologies. As yet, we don’t think people have done a very good job of leveraging these advances to make products and services that improve the quality of life of people as they age. We want to help change that.
Technology
With yesterday’s supercomputer now packed into the form factor of a phone; processing power doubling every 18 months; robot vacuum cleaners in millions of homes; and advances like 3D printing making cheap custom prototyping available at home, it becomes quite hard to dream up a new idea that seems “impossible”. It’s often just a matter of time and money, and whether the result justifies the resources.
Aging
And with respect to aging, there is no shortage of problems that need solving. Whether it’s fall prevention technology; ways to avoid social isolation; techniques to avoid being stuck at home when you can’t drive anymore, many people around the world need help. Our Explorer circles are already surfacing many meaty problems that need solving, and a handful of interesting potential solutions. And so far we are just scratching the surface.
A great example
Solving the problem of eating with tremor. (We had no role in developing this. We wish we did though.)