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Japan’s Monitoring Services – Peace of Mind for Senior
Citizens Living Alone

"The Kokokuma Bear Communication Partner" (courtesy of NTT DoCoMo)

    A declining birth rate and an aging population is a serious problem, predominantly in developed countries; and Japan is no exception. In order to respond positively to this aging problem, we need to create a framework for society as a whole.

    In Japan, many companies and organizations are using cutting-edge technology to address this problem. Services that allow children and grandchildren to remotely monitor the well-being grandparents and parents living apart from them are increasing in popularity.

Utilizing Robots, IoT Technology and Home Appliances

    "Monitoring Support Robots" have been developed using communication robot technology and the IoT (Internet of Things). Robots are set up in several locations in the senior citizen's house such as the living room, bedroom, bathroom and entrance hall. The robots have complex built-in sensors to measure motion, temperature, humidity, and light levels, etc. Family members living away can check on the senior citizen's living conditions 24 hours a day using their smart phones or tablets. A robot located in the monitoring party's house provides information vocally and via LEDs of any abnormalities in the senior citizen's place of residence, or in room temperature; such as "he/she is in the living room now"; "the entrance hall door has opened"; or "the room temperature is more than 38 degrees." There are even features such as one that lets you know when it is time for any medicines to be taken, making you feel as though you are living together.

The

The "IMAirumo PaPeRo i" monitoring support robot system (courtesy of SOLXYZ)


The “IMAirumo PaPeRo i” monitoring support robot  (courtesy of SOLXYZ)

The “IMAirumo PaPeRo i” monitoring support robot (courtesy of SOLXYZ)

Smart phone screen. Light levels in the rooms are measured using a sensor and changes are shown on a graph; with a blue line for the bedroom, a yellow line for the living room and a red line for the bathroom.  This allows to you surmise that the person is in a certain room when the levels of light are high in that room  (courtesy of SOLXYZ)

Smart phone screen. Light levels in the rooms are measured using a sensor and changes are shown on a graph; with a blue line for the bedroom, a yellow line for the living room and a red line for the bathroom. This allows to you surmise that the person is in a certain room when the levels of light are high in that room (courtesy of SOLXYZ)


    There is also an increase in services that use trends in everyday lifestyle, such as the use of cell phones and the television, to confirm the well-being of family members. In services that monitor the use of cell phones, family members are automatically notified by email when the senior citizen uses his/her cell phone; in addition to this, regular emails are sent to the family free of charge informing of the amount of battery remaining on days when the cell phone has not been used. This imposes no extra burden on the senior citizen who uses the cellphone regularly and it can easily be used.

Television can be used to communicate with each other

    There are also monitoring services that have been developed on the premise that "senior citizens routinely watch the television, so this would be an appropriate means of monitoring." Daily usage can be checked by sending data that is synchronized with the power being turned on and off on the television in the senior citizen's house to a cloud server. It is also possible to have senior citizens report their physical condition on any given day using the TV screen and to have an operator check on them by telephone if the power is not turned on for a certain period of time.
    There are also services that will report daily gas usage using cell phones and PCs of remotely-located family members. In addition to understanding everyday lifestyles such as when meals are prepared and baths are taken etc., these services email family members if there has been no gas used the previous day, so that changes in the senior citizen's daily habits can be promptly recognized. The services can also check if someone has forgotten to turn off the gas and it can be shut off via the Web or by telephone; and therefore, they are capable of handling emergency situations.
    There is even a monitoring service that uses a "pot" (a kettle-cum-flask) with a built in wireless communication device. When the senior citizen uses the pot, this information is relayed to the cell phone of family members who are living away via the Internet. As well as two daily alerts to let family members know when the pot is being used, there is also a "Going Out" button that can just be pushed to let the family know when someone goes out or comes home from shopping or a trip.
    Japan is a country where we often drink tea and many senior citizens use these pots; hence this idea, which ties in with that custom.

A senior citizen using a

A senior citizen using a "pot" (courtesy of Zojirushi Corporation)

The

The "Monitoring Service Hot-Line i-Pot" (courtesy of Zojirushi Corporation)

Smart phone screen with information on the pot's usage.  It shows the pot's usage status (when hot water is being poured, when the power is switched on, when the user has gone out, and when the user has returned home.)   You can also bring up the latest information from the link's URL (courtesy of Zojirushi Corporation

Smart phone screen with information on the pot's usage. It shows the pot's usage status (when hot water is being poured, when the power is switched on, when the user has gone out, and when the user has returned home.) You can also bring up the latest information from the link's URL (courtesy of Zojirushi Corporation

    There are also monitoring products in the form of stuffed bears that can monitor senior citizens and act as "family" to ensure that anyone living alone lives a happy life and doesn't feel lonely. As well as enjoying conversations about the local weather and the seasons etc. with the stuffed toy, when the senior citizen holds a button on the bear's hand and talks to it, his/her voice is recorded and sent to a family member's smart phone via a special application. It has a voice message function that allows the user to send messages and replay messages sent by family members just by pressing the left and right buttons

Services that use cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence

    There are also services that use "presumptive differential technology for household appliances“ - cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI). "Presumptive differential technology for household appliances" is technology that can understand the usage of each household appliance in an individual residence just by installing one small sensor on the distribution board of the residence. There is no need for special communication features for each home appliance; neither is there a need to individually attach sensors. Just one sensor attached to the distribution board collects and measures data on the detailed use of air conditioners, washing machines, microwave ovens etc., allowing overall monitoring of the senior citizen's life.
    The data collected and measured acts just like a diary, giving a pattern of daily activity for the senior citizen; and this pattern can be confirmed through illustrations and graphs that are displayed via an app on the cell phones of family members living away. Family members receive an alert via email if there are any abnormalities such as a vacuum cleaner that is switched on for several hours, or an air conditioner that is switched off on a hot summer's day. It is also possible to request a visit from nearby professional staff. It is popular as a "gentle monitoring service" that reduces opposition from the party being monitored, as it does not involve the use of web cams.

Structure of a service that uses cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (courtesy of Informetis)

Structure of a service that uses cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (courtesy of Informetis)

Able to display illustrations and graphs on your smart phone showing home appliance usage. You can also check what time the rice is being cooked /when the microwave is used/ as well as the local weather and temperature and chance of rain per time slot  (courtesy of Informetis)

Able to display illustrations and graphs on your smart phone showing home appliance usage. You can also check what time the rice is being cooked /when the microwave is used/ as well as the local weather and temperature and chance of rain per time slot (courtesy of Informetis)


    Although cell phones and smart phones have become more popular and it is easier and cheaper to communicate than it used to be, there are still many people who do not have frequent contact. Also, even if you keep in touch every day, you cannot have access 24 hours a day. So it seems that in the current age, gentle monitoring services that can promptly detect any abnormalities that happen to senior citizens will continue to grow in popularity.

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