In this interview with REHACARE.com, Prof. Bernd Krieg-Brückner from Bremen Ambient Assisted Living Lab at German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence explains how small technical components are not only able to make everyday life easier but also contribute to increasing mobility.
Prof. Krieg-Brückner, what does ASSAM stand for and what are the goals of the project?
Prof. Bernd Krieg-Brückner: Within the EU context, the project was operated under the name "Assistants for Safe Mobility". Our aim is to make a number of technologies available that compensate for age-related restrictions on individual users and are easy to handle.
Fifteen years ago, we already started to develop autonomous wheelchairs. We gradually transferred this technology to other devices. This includes a rolling walker that assists the user to find his/her way with the help of a navigation assistant, an electric scooter that brakes on slopes and powers up a hill, and a rolling walker or wheelchair that automatically avoids obstacles.
Who participated in the project?
Krieg-Brückner: Our consortium includes nine partners from three different countries – Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. It is made up of both industry and research partners, that being universities. We also had partners who were in charge of evaluations within the scope of field studies. In Germany, this was the Johanniter Association (St. John Association) here in Bremen, in the Netherlands a foundation that supports persons with visual impairments and in Spain an organization that conducts care classifications for senior citizens and recommends equipment.
What mobility assistants does the project particularly focus on?
Krieg-Brückner: We focus on three mobility aids: a wheelchair, a rolling walker and a three-wheeler which we newly designed. All of them promote everyday mobility so that the users don’t have to miss out on their usual social contacts and are also able to enjoy better health.