The McKechnie Family LIFE Home welcomes two new robots to the facility: PARO and Moxie. PARO is a therapeutic robot that is designed to provide emotional support and companionship. PARO’s features include interactive sensors that allow it to respond to its environment and interact meaningfully. It responds to human contact by making various sounds, moving […]
The McKechnie Family LIFE Home had the pleasure of hosting two MS-HT events this August! One was on August 3rd, 2023 when the LIFE Home had an open house that greeted graduating students and board members to look at our facility and the robots. We also had the pleasure of meeting their families as well! […]
Ketan is a recent graduate with a master’s in Information Management from the School of Information Science. He is has previous software engineering experience currently interning at the Lifehome where he helps develop accessible technology for the different robots at the facility. He is passionate about software and wireless technology. He believes his work will […]
On August 3rd, 2023, we held an open house for the Master of Science in Health Technology (MS-HT) Program at the McKechnie Family LIFE Home. We had the pleasure of being visited by the McKechnie family and MS-HT Advisory Board members, students, faculty, and otherguests. The LIFE Home staff was pleased to show off the […]
On July 20th, 2023, McKechnie Family LIFE Home hosted Permobil. Permobil is a power wheelchair company that drives to push the boundaries of technology in pursuit of innovations that improve the quality of life of its users. Just as their users’ needs constantly change, they work continuously to tailor their Permobil products to meet their day-to-day reality. This […]
On June 27th, 2023, McKechnie Family LIFE Home hosted AHS Illini Summer Academy & Community Health. The AHS Illini Summer Academy and Community Health show sophomores and juniors what a job could be like in this field if they plan on pursuing this major. They will learn what community health and public health look like in community practice, […]
The aim of R2 (Assessing the Use of Digital Assistant Technologies by Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities) is to assess the potential of digital home assistants and connected environmental control technologies to support older adults with mobility disability in their own homes for up to 10 weeks. Investigators:
A study on enrichment seeking in midlife and older adulthood The research aims to explore the potential of electric fireplaces to contribute to well-being through the creation of environments that bolster enrichment seeking in midlife and older adulthood. This project is funded by Napoleon Fireplaces Investigators:
The research aims to investigate perceptions and attitudes towards a telehealth robot, explore potential health care use-cases, and elicit design requirements for the robot to be used in supporting health checkups at home. This research is funded by Jump Applied Research through Community Health through Engineering andSimulation (ARCHES) – Grant from OSF HealthCare. Investigators:
Afnaan Afsar Ali, one of the undergraduate research assistants in the Human Factors & Aging Laboratory who conducted a study at the McKechnie Family LIFE Home was featured in the College of Applied Health Sciences News. This student is a community health sophomore who Afnann Afsar Ali wanted a bigger outlook on health care. He […]