A look back at 2024: How AI is making society more inclusive
By the end of 2024, we are looking back on a major development in the world of data: AI is helping people with disabilities, as well as the elderly.
Published on December 28, 2024
Everything new is wildly interesting! That's the motto of our DATA+ expert, Elcke Vels. She writes stories about AI and how it affects our society, has a series on cyber security, and interviews Dutch innovation maestros. In her “What if...” column, she also explores intriguing scenarios that deviate from the status quo.
The holidays remind us once again that togetherness is essential. We believe that everyone deserves a place at the table at Christmas dinner and that no one should sit alone behind the geraniums at the turn of the year.
However, it is not only during the holidays that it is important to take care of everyone. As a society, we should strive to do so anyway. We have arrived at the end of 2024 and I want to look back on a year in which important developments in the world of data have taken place: artificial intelligence - depending on huge amounts of data - increasingly ensures that people with disabilities, or vulnerable elderly people, for example, can continue to participate actively in society.
People with visual impairments can navigate better with an app
Earlier this year, for example, we wrote about the startup TouchPulse. The company focuses on navigating but outside the door. On the street, danger sometimes literally lurks around the corner. One must get by in a sea of red traffic lights, intersections, streetcars, cyclists, and cars. Navigating is also a chore.
Students make navigation a breeze for those with visual impairments
During the TU/e Contest, students present their innovative ideas to the outside world.
Navigating the streets is often done with a cane or a guide dog, but technology can be a handy addition. In an app, that works based on an AI language model, users can say where they want to go. Through an earpiece, they then receive appropriate directions. In a way that is appropriate for them, because with current technology they receive directions such as “turn left in 50 meters,” which is difficult if you cannot see.
TouchPulse won this year's AI Pitch Competition.
AI wearables improve living standards for the elderly
Elderly people spend most of this time at home. As the population ages, the question arises: how can we improve the quality of life for the elderly while taking good care of them? AI helps, including in this area, as colleague Mauro Mereu wrote earlier this year about a promising AI voice assistant. ACHO is an assistant that reminds the user to take medication. Upon request, the assistant also indicates which medications have already been taken.
By the way, AI can also be incorporated into garments and socks to improve the living standards of the elderly. Take Mentech's HUME: a digital system that measures stress based on sensors in wearables, such as a sock. The wearables measure physiological parameters, such as heart rate, skin conductance (which is an indicator of stress, like sweat), and a person's activity.
It came out this year that the HUME technology has become the subject of scientific research. The parties involved in this research are Ipse de Bruggen, Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen, LUMC, and VGZ Zorgkantoor. A step in the right direction for even wider, and confident, use of the technology!