Depression era elderly are very resistant to spending on themselves and Baby Boomer adult children caring for them have a technology bias (technology is too hard to use).

However with the wide acceptance of mobile technology and the iPhone as an example of user centered design – there is an opportunity to associate care robotics with mobile instead of the desktop computer.

Just providing the capability for an adult care giver to remotely visit a person adamant to age in place is lifting a significant burden from them.

By being able to virtually visit (and perhaps get some sensor readings of past activity) you can avoid a lot of hard to manage care issues like medication compliance, dehydration, nutrition and in-home hired care monitoring (stealing and physical/mental abuse).

Watch for a partnering strategy – the iRobot brand alone may not be enough to overcome the barriers to purchase.

Some logical partnerships could be with security companies or a cellular provider. Health Care or Health Insurance partnerships are also a possibility (as an option on the adult caregiver’s policy – not the elderly person’s).

Vacuuming my house is really low involvement (emotional) and helping take care of my Mom/Dad is high involvement.

Doug Stone
VP of Innovation
Maddock Douglas