Smart Aid for Patients (SAP)
Smart Home Technology
What is Smart Home Technology? It is also known as home automation that is the use of home devices that connect through a network such as local LAN or Internet. It uses sensors and other appliances connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) that could be remotely monitored, managed, or accessed and provide services that respond to the perceived needs from the users. According to Statista, there will be more than 31 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020, and that number is expected to grow to 75.4 billion by 2025.
Smart Home Technology for Patients
In the future, it is expected that more smart technologies will be developed for people who need critical care and support at home. And I have developed a technology called SAP and this technology has been specifically applied to assist people with disabilities or elders who need more support. This technology works by attaching a micro-sensor under the users’ body for SAP to evaluate and analyze their health conditions and alert them if they have any health issues. And more features are present for patients to easily access their essential needs.
Now, I want to introduce SAP with low-fidelity prototype. Since this is considered as a future technology, it is assumed that users have already owned multiple smart devices at home that could be connected to this device.
Home Page
This is a home page of SAP as you can see above. It shows the current time and has a simple feature where users can select five different options: Health, Monitor, Manage, Emergency, and Help. Users can use this device manually by touching the icons on the tablet. But if the users are unable to touch the screen, they can use their voice to command SAP for all functions. At the bottom, there is a setting icon which users can change any setting on the home page.
Health Page
Like I have mentioned before, this device is connected with a micro-sensor that evaluates and analyzes users’ health conditions and alerts them when needed. Health conditions are updated daily and users can set the time when it gets updated. If the user wants their health condition to be updated more than once in a day, they can change the setting by going to the settings at the bottom of the screen. If there’s any health issue that are occurring, it will show the specific area where the problem is occurring by having a red circle on that area. If the user wants to view more details about their health condition, they can touch the box that says “Click to view more details”. Next, a reminder for today is shown below the health description where it lists all reminders that are related to their health. Users can also set alarms for all reminders or only specific reminders.
Monitor Page
The monitor page is allowing users to monitor their connected smart devices. It can include a medical cabinet where it shows the inside view of their cabinet that contains users’ medications. When certain medications need refills, the user can set the alert to let them know. Also, they can monitor home temperature, robotic vacuum, and smart refrigerator that advanced technical features When the user chooses one of the devices to monitor, they can monitor all the connected smart devices. There’s also a setting where the user can change or default their specific settings for their monitoring feature.
Manage Page
The manage page is allowing users to manage their connected smart devices. It can include lights, temperature, Alexa, phone and Google Home. Unlike monitoring features, users can actually manage and control their devices with this function. For example, if the light is selected, users can turn on and off every light in their home and this function can save energy as well. Also, users can see any updates or notifications of their smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Home. Lastly, when the user’s phone is connected to this device, users are able to view the same phone screen right through this device where they can send messages, call someone, and use the Internet browser.
Emergency Page
The emergency page is allowing users to call for help when they’re in an emergency. When the user chooses the 911 option, you can call 911 right away and the device will automatically send the current location of the user and the major health issue with the data retrieved from the current health condition feature. Users can also choose to call their primary doctor or emergency contacts by voice call or video call. Users can also add or edit their emergency contacts in the emergency settings.
Help Page
The help page is allowing users to get help when they have any question about the device or any health related questions. They can search manually or use their voice to ask any questions. When it finds the answer, it will show answers with words plus a related video about the question that leads users to understand more easily and faster.
Conclusion
Technology can help patients or older people stay independent, safe, and avoid the difficult transition to institutional care. Can a well-managed smart home be a substitute for hospital care in the future? Experts agree that many health conditions could be monitored and treated in a home equipped with necessary smart home products. Connected smart homes might not yet be able to completely replace existing healthcare services; however, they can improve the quality of care in many ways. I hope future health technologies will provide people with better support and care.
