Good news for the elderly who want to stay fit and achieve this goal in their own home, preferably in front of the television. Forget the Wii and forget the Kinect. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits have brought us quite the opposite of a lazy chair. Their new advanced armchair GEWOS can monitor vitals, weight, and even transform into a rowing machine. GEWOS stands for “GEsund WOhnen mit Stil”, German for “Healthy Living in Style”.
Fitness and health innovations have already found their way to our living rooms. This particular armchair integrates monitoring of health, a virtual health assistant and a fitness machine into a comfortable armchair. The GEWOS has microsystem technology built into the seats and armrests to monitor our health. With the assistance of software, the whole system can monitor pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure and weight. Based on the gathered health data, the software also comes up with specific exercise plans for the user. Also, it will provide tips for sitting in a healthier position.
The chair has already been tested and received positively by 100 senior citizens last year at the Ambient Assisted Living Conference. Future developments with the armchair will maximize the use of people’s natural play instincts and include cognitive games to stimulate the brain. Additional plans for this technology include a web platform involving other users, physicians and health experts. The technology and the armchair will be presented at CeBIT 2013 in Hannover, Germany. Visitors will have the opportunity to test the GEWOS armchair.
News release: The Armchair as a Fitness Trainer