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N ew and innovative edu-

cational projects are being created within a variety of disciplines that are both practical and functional. They often start as a learning strategy that transpires into a practical and useful tool. Collaboration between the Division of Industrial Design and the Departments of Computing Science, Pharmacy and Engi-neering has resulted in the cre-ation of the “Smart Condo™,” a project supported by the Health Sciences Education and Re-search Common (HSERC) at the University of Alberta. OT program chair at the University of Alberta Dr. Lili Liu is the academic co-lead (with Dr. Eleni Stroulia) in the development of the Smart Condo™. Her research focuses on three themes: technology and aging, universal design and aging, as well as rehabilitation outcome measures and interventions for older adults with cognitive impairment. Dr. Liu was featured in ACOTUP’s Spring 2012 Newsletter.

“This whole project came

about from at least 15 years of collaboration with Industrial Design. It started out really small when I was teaching a course on aging with physiotherapy and occupational therapy students. One of the elective assignments just came out of the blue and it was a design for an aging com-petition that was hosted by the American Society on Aging. So we got together with an Indus-trial Design class and about 20 OT and PT students were selected to do as a project. Stu-dents had to go through a very systematic process of designing, analyzing, and researching prod-ucts for aging. We entered the products into the contests and started winning awards.” This winning combination resulted in functional products that were aesthetically pleasing and put universally designed principles into practice. The Smart Condo™ is designed for accessibility, func-tionality while incorporating technologies, as Canada’s aging population is forefront in the minds of many healthcare pro-fessionals. Its practical implica-tions include being an alternative

to the aging population’s need to move into a long-term care facil-ity before it is necessary. The Smart Condo™ enables seniors to live independently as long as possible in a safe and private environment designed specifi-cally for them.

As a result of the technology being developed by researchers and healthcare professionals who are involved in this project, the safety features of the Smart Condo™ enable seniors not only to feel safe in their homes, but also to be safe. Some of this technology includes in-home monitoring, such as: specialized sensors; avatars representing the locations and movements of the

participants; and the use of algorithms that would grant the ability to detect critical incidents such as falls or missed medica-tions.

Healthcare professionals can then monitor events in the Smart Condo™, be alerted to any unusual activities or problems, and ensure safety for its inhabitants. Due to the tech-nology’s non-intrusive function-ality, residents still maintain their independence and privacy. Further software will allow medical professionals to extract meaningful data from the obser-vations made by the in-home technology.

Relevant information would be recorded and used by medical professionals, which would serve to improve the health manage-ment of the patients living in the community.

For further information, watch an interview with Dr. Liu about this exciting and interesting project at the Univer-sity of Alberta’s website: http://www.hserc.ualberta.ca/ OurVideos/SmartCondo-Educa-tion.aspx.