“There is nothing else like it. I really like all the different options you have here — the kitchen and the social elements. It’s something I haven’t found anywhere else” One visitor shared during the Beckwith Residential Community’s visit to the McKechnie Family LIFE Home. Students and staff from the Beckwith Residential Community visited the McKechnie Family LIFE Home […]
Author: yuhengw4@illinois.edu
LIFE Home Hosts Big Ten Alliance Academic Leadership Program Fellows
The McKechnie Family LIFE Home hosted academic leaders/fellows from the Big Ten Alliance – Academic Leadership Program (ALP). LIFE Home staff organized a showcase of technologies and the research spaces as well as demonstrations from ongoing LIFE Home projects during the event. The ALP fellows had the opportunity to interact with social robots “Moxie”, “Paro”, “Misty”, and “Jibo”. One research example is the use of […]
Protected: Testing Insta360 LIFE Home Image
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McKechnie Family LIFE Home hosts a Fall Open House
McKechnie Family LIFE Home hosts a Fall Open House Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 • Time: 2:00–5:00 PM Location: 75 Bailey Drive, Champaign, IL 61820 Theme: Smart Living for Everyone On October 7, the McKechnie Family LIFE Home welcomed guests to our Fall Open House. Visitors explored the space, met researchers from across campus, and experienced hands-on […]
LIFE Home Researchers Win 2024 Ergonomics Journal Best Paper Award
We are proud to share that a paper co-authored by members of the McKechnie Family LIFE Home research community has received the 2024 Ergonomics Journal Best Paper Award, presented by the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF). This annual award recognizes the most impactful article published in Ergonomics over the past year. The […]
McKechnie Family LIFE Home Showcased at Champaign West Rotary Meeting
The Champaign West Rotary Club invited Dr. Wendy Rogers, Director of the McKechnie Family LIFE Home, and Dr. Shafiqul Islam, Postdoctoral Research Associate, for an engaging in-person presentation and virtual demonstration, highlighting the capabilities of the LIFE Home and how it is aimed at improving the quality of life for people of all ages and […]
Tanvi
Tanvi, a junior at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, interned at the LIFE Home 2025 summer. The experience sparked her interest in how technology can improve aging and accessibility while supporting healthcare. She’s excited to keep learning how robotics and AI can make a real difference in people’s lives. She hopes to return next summer […]
Dr. Wendy Rogers, Khan Professor of Applied Health Sciences, interviewed by the Illinois Public Media
As part of a university-wide initiative to spotlight innovative research, the University of Illinois Applied Health Sciences Advancement office coordinated with Illinois Public Media (IPM) to interview Dr. Wendy Rogers, as a Shahid and Ann Carlson Khan Professor of Applied Health Sciences. Dr. Rogers is the Director of the McKechnie Family LIFE Home and leads […]
Welcome our new team member, Dr. Md Shafiqul Islam!
The LIFE Home staff is pleased to welcome Dr. Md Shafiqul Islam to our team as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. He joined us in June 2025. Dr. Islam holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech, where he specialized in system evaluation and inclusive design. As the postdoctoral associate at the LIFE […]
LIFE Home Intern and Community-Academic Scholars Program
Yuheng (Leo) Wang, an Industrial Design student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is currently a design intern at the McKechnie Family LIFE Home and a 2025 Community-Academic Scholar. His research focuses on inclusive design and assistive technology for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Recently, Leo received some of the design industry’s most prestigious […]