An electronics laboratory has recently been added to the TechHub on the Industrieweg in Assen. The lab is called HealthNext and is an initiative of Hanze. Together with students, the municipality of Assen, healthcare institutions and entrepreneurs, we are working on advanced sensor systems for elderly care.
“People are getting older. Moreover, they are living at home longer because there are too few places in care homes. We have to do something about that,” explains Jan Klerken of the Hanze.
Students and entrepreneurs work on sensor technology in the lab. “A good example is a 1 centimeter sensor that we can place on a person or on a walker,” says Ewout Bergsma of the Hanze.
“That sensor records the movement pattern. Normal, but also abnormal behavior is provided insight. For example, we can see whether someone has turned on the gas stove, then walked away and stayed in the living room for a long time. That can be dangerous.” In such a dangerous situation, an alarm goes off.
To reduce the pressure on healthcare staff, those directly involved are initially involved. “Think of neighbors, relatives or informal caregivers. Only if they do not know what to do, a care agency can be called in.”
Before the Willie Wortels make all kinds of sensor inventions, it must first be determined what help the elderly need. That is why discussions will be held with 500 households in the municipalities of Hoogeveen, Emmen, Coevorden, Hoogeveen and Borger-Odoorn in the coming months.
“Then we are not going to talk about complicated technology. No, we mainly want to know what you need to meet your basic needs. So eat, sleep, exercise and relax.”
The wheel does not have to be reinvented for everything: there are already a lot of smart devices that people have in their homes. Think of sensors for light, cameras that track movement and smart sockets. “Now there is a separate device for every problem in healthcare. We want to link existing technology to our inventions. So that we can create a platform where all devices work together. Because together they are stronger than alone,” says Bergsma.
At HealthNext, future engineers, technicians and installers learn to work with the technology.
Then there is the fear of violation of privacy. Is the data recorded in-house safe? “All data remains in the home network,” reassures Klerken. “Nothing is put on a cloud or server far away.”
The care needs of the elderly will be mapped out in the coming months. “The intention is that we will have a working home system in two years,” says Klerken. The business community has been involved from the start. “After those two years, the intention is for the business community to take over the initiative. We will ensure a healthy revenue model,” concludes Klerken.
