How can we help elderly people find their way around places which are new and completely unknown to them? At the Science Museum in Trento, northern Italy, Vittoria Basso, 91 years old, is involved in an unusual scientific experience. She is testing a robotic walker.
“It is like a GPS, similar to the GPS that my son has in his car. This guides me easily; it helps me not to be lost. It let’s me know the right path. And I can walk without fear,” she explained.
The walker obtains information about the environment around it through the wireless connections and that guides the user’s decision-making.
The device is stuffed with sensors, cameras, obstacle recognition systems and software components aimed at extending elderly people’s autonomous life beyond the home.
“Inside algorithms receive the information from all the sensors embedded in the walker. The algorithms then analyse all this data and suggest to Vittoria and other users a path that minimizes the chances of stumbling on
