It may not sound like the sexiest software. But considering that every seven seconds another of the nation’s 75 million baby boomers turns 50, there’s clearly gold in helping the old. So developing tech solutions that enhance independence and keep people in their homes longer may be the hottest software gig of the next decade.
Patterson’s applications and others like it use artificial intelligence to enable devices to make decisions on their own. At Carnegie Mellon, AI researchers are working on a four-foot “nursebot” named Pearl. Pearl’s job is to assist the elderly with routine chores like opening jars and more high-level tasks like monitoring their health. Pearl could be available in about five years and go for about $3,000, says Pearl’s developer, Sebastian Thrun.
At the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers have a 5,000-square-foot Aware Home decked out with the latest AI gizmos that recognize and then interpret activity in a house. One application, called What Was I Cooking?, looks out for mistakes, such as miscounted ingredients.
There are big-name companies behind some of the research. Intel has spent more than $1 million in the past three years. Eric Dishman, Intel’s manager of Proactive Health Research, looks for workers’ technical expertise and an ability to apply it. “We’re all looking for people who can create a solution, not HAL.” Then again, “2001: A Space Odyssey’’ was released 34 years ago. HAL could probably use a little help around the house by now, too.
