NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

New CAST Member Showcases Robotic Technology at AAHSA House

HAL is a wearable robotic suit that is designed to multiply a person's strength by reading bio-electric signals that the person generates. The suit uses those signals to guide the movement of robotic limbs strapped to a person's arms and legs. With HAL's help, even stroke patients may be able to walk and nurses have extra strength to move individuals who need assistance.

HAL is just one of the technologies being displayed in the AAHSA House, a 2,500 square foot concept house designed to illustrate how technology and design can be integrated to facilitate aging in place and continued participation in the community. The house, which will be open to the public during the AAHSA Annual Meeting & Exposition, November 8-11 at McCormick Place in Chicago, will feature design elements such as modified kitchens and bathrooms as well as technologies designed to improve older people's quality of life, while reducing health care costs, encouraging healthy behavior change and providing caregivers with support.

"Cyberdyne's involvement with CAST and the AAHSA House offers visitors the opportunity to see first-hand how assistive robotic technology can transform the future of aging," said Majd Alwan, Ph.D., CAST Director. "We look forward to sharing their knowledge with providers across the country."

HAL's inventor, Dr. Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor at University of Tsukuba in Japan and president of Cyberdyne, is also excited about the partnership with CAST and AAHSA: "Partnering with CAST and having HAL in the AAHSA House gives Cyberdyne the chance to highlight to the aging-services community how our work can make a difference in the lives of older people and their caregivers."

Dr. Sankai will be available to demonstrate HAL and discuss its benefits during a press preview tour of the AAHSA House on Monday, November 9, at 10 a.m. For more information, visit www.agingtech.org.

About CAST

The Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) is leading the charge to expedite the development, evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies that will transform the aging experience.

CAST has four focus areas:

    1. driving a global vision of how technologies can improve the quality of
       life for seniors while reducing health care costs;
    2. accelerating technology research and development through pilot
       evaluations with seniors;
    3. advocating to remove barriers to the rapid commercialization of proven
       solutions; and

    4. promoting dialogue about standards to ensure interoperability and
       widespread access to aging-services technologies.

CAST is now an international coalition of more than 400 technology companies, aging-services organizations, businesses, research universities and government representatives working together under the auspices of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.aahsa.org). The members of AAHSA help millions of individuals and their families every day through mission-driven, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to providing the services that people need, when they need them, in the place they call home.

SOURCE American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging