A Portable Device for Supporting Autonomous and Healthy Urban Ageing: The PROLONG System

Urban planning usually interconnects with the theme of mobility and the degree of accessibility of a city. This is especially true when referring to more vulnerable age groups, such as older adults. The domain of urban ageing deals with the implications of urban living for the ageing population and it spans across health, social and urban disciplines. The use of technology to support healthy urban ageing is of foremost importance with specific examples including health monitoring, wandering detection technology, and system for timely response in risky situations. PROLONG designs and manufactures a prototype of a device designed as a tiny wearable GNSS-IoT tracker to be strapped at the user's shoulders, responding to the need of detecting abnormal or dangerous walking patterns of older adults. A first PROLONG prototype is already manufactured and is currently being tested. Thanks to proprietary algorithm capable to yield centimeter-grade accuracy from Galileo satellite positioning data, the device not only provides high-accuracy outdoor localization of older adults, but it also delivers fall detection and, most interestingly, assessment of gait abnormalities through real-time spatio-temporal gait analysis in outdoor scenarios. The PROLONG system requirements and user needs analysis have been performed through a design thinking inspired workshop that was organized in Thessaloniki, Greece. The workshop included 16 participants: 12 older adults, 2 informal caregivers and 2 healthcare professionals. Due to COVID pandemic, online or telephone interviews were performed following the design thinking structure. The raw data collected from each participant were analyzed in order to edit an review that includes the summary of all the discussions and the main points.

Automated summary

Urban planning is closely related to the accessibility and mobility of a city, particularly for vulnerable populations such as older adults. The field of urban ageing focuses on the impact of urban living on older adults and spans across health, social, and urban disciplines. Using technology to support healthy aging in cities is crucial, with examples including health monitoring, wandering detection, and timely response systems. The PROLONG project has developed a prototype device, a wearable GNSS-IoT tracker, that detects abnormal or dangerous walking patterns in older adults. It provides accurate outdoor localization, fall detection, and real-time gait analysis. The project conducted a design thinking workshop to analyze system requirements and user needs.