Translating Research to Reality
The McKechnie Family LIFE Home is designed to support interdisciplinary research to advance the science and engineering of home innovations. The research is focused in the home environment, user-centered, and intended to advance solutions that are accessible for a broad range of individuals and families in both existing home designs and future home concepts.
Spotlight of Research Projects
Assessing the Use of Digital Assistant Technologies by Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities
The aim of this project (Assessing the Use of Digital Assistant Technologies by Older Adults with Mobility Disabilities) is to assess the potential of digital home assistants.
The Fireside Exploration Project
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.
Older Adults’ and Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives on Telehealth Robotics
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.
CREATE Virtual Reality Project
The goal of this project is to design and evaluate an immersive Cognitive Activity Social Technology (CAST) virtual reality system.
Center for Enhancing Neurocognitive Health, Abilities, Networks & Community Engagement
ENHANCE is a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
TechSAge RERC
The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place for People with Long-Term Disabilities (RERC TechSAge) funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
Wayfinding Assistance via Mobile Robotics for People with Vision Impairments
This project is funded by an Illinois Campus Research Research Support Award to develop mobile robots to assist with wayfinding and navigation tasks for people with vision disabilities.
Robotic Support in Everyday Activities For Older Adults
The STRETCH project is funded by the SBIR program under the National Institute of Health to refine and broaden the functional capabilities of STRETCH to support older adults with a range of cognitive and physical impairments.
