Jackie's Story

From Capsil Wiki

Tonight is bingo night for Jackie, and Jackie loves bingo night! A great chance to catch up with the girls, not to mention the roll she was on last week! Although she plays with her friends remotely during the week using the online bingo forum, it is not the same as being out and in their company. Jackie felt a soft nudge and looking up from her book saw CLARC’s blue eyes shining at her. CLARC (Care and Living Assistive Robotic Companion) tilled her head pointedly looking at the mobile medical unit on the tray it was carrying. Jackie smiled and sighed placing her finger on the unit’s sensor pad, while it checked her blood glucose. CLARC’s eyes changed to green, the all clear. Jackie picked up her book again, but a soft chime interrupted. CLARC’s eyes, blue again, were indicating towards the small pile of pills that had dropped onto a plate while a glass of cool water was being poured. Jackie didn’t know what she would do without CLARC to remind her to monitor her blood glucose and take her medicine. All those pills, it used to be so confusing to remember what to take, how much, and when. Jackie was lucky that she could now control her type 2 diabetes through oral pills, diet, and exercise.

A low whistle came from CLARC after she had taken her pills, and she threw up her robot arms and wheeled into the bedroom. Jackie giggled as she got up and followed where she changed into her workout gear. CLARC always got so excited when it was time to exercise. The snugly fitting t-shirt and leggings were easy to put on and comfortable, allowing her to move freely. You would never guess that there was soft fabric sensors integrated into them which could follow her movements, recreating them on the wall screen.

Jackie had moved to Bexhill-On-Sea after Peter had died. The house in Glasgow just felt too big and empty. Jackie had been obese for a long time, but gradually it had been slowing her down till she very rarely left the house. Although she could order shopping online, it was the human contact she missed the most. Her daughter and her family lived in Hastings and with Peter gone it had felt like the right time to make a move. Sarah, Jackie’s daughter, had managed to find her a lovely self contained flat on the sea front and was only a 30 minute drive away by car and so was able to visit Jackie several times a week.

A simple command began the exercise program; CLARC projected the routine onto the wall and played music through speakers. The sensors in the garments wirelessly transmitted the data to CLARC where they could be interpreted and mirrored on the projection of the exercises. To begin with a game was played to warm up her joints and muscles. Jackie reached up to touch the shapes as they appeared before they disappeared again. Feeling nicely warm Jackie took her Pilates band and following CLARC’s instruction worked on her muscle toning exercises. After, stretching out, Jackie contemplated her life before she had moved here. Already she had lost 2 stone in weight and had found both her balance and stamina improved. She had seldom left the house before, partly because she feared that she would fall and partly because the effort always left her feeling so exhausted. CLARC presented Jackie with the vital stats from her workout, adding them to her workout log and sent them to Jackie’s doctor. No abnormalities had been detected such as an over elevated heart rate.

CLARC started chirping and moved into a position in front of Jackie. It was Sarah calling on the video phone. Even with CLARC there to keep an eye on her, Sarah still liked to keep a close eye on Jackie, it was sweet to know that she cares so much, even though Jackie had tried to reassure her that help could get to her in minutes should anything happen to her. Just last month Jackie had slipped coming out of the bath and had bumped her hip on the sink. Luckily, nothing had been broken and her hip had only been bruised. CLARC had been on stand by when the pressure sensors in the bathroom floor had been activated indicating a sudden sharp impact. CLARC had entered the bathroom where Jackie told it she was conscious but would require help as she could not get up and had hurt her hip. CLARC had immediately notified the emergency services and stayed with Jackie playing a game to ensure she was fully coherent till they arrived. After this fall Jackie had been put on the waiting list for an up graded CLARC that could also assist her to stand if she fell and did not need immediate medical assistance. Gradually the NHS was being able build an infrastructure to support the rising demand for independent living in the UK, however, it was not widely available through out the whole of the UK yet as the pilot trials had begun in the South of England, but slowly the technology was being made far more available.

After chatting to Sarah and arranging to meet the next day, Jackie asked CLARC to help her with her shopping list. To help her loose a little weight and manage her diabetes CLARC kept a record of what Jackie ate and provided suggestions for meals that would be tasty yet healthy. Jackie enjoyed the food that she was eating, although it had taken a little while to get used to, and it had been years since she had had so much energy.

A CLARC’s eyes lit up in anticipation, it was time for bingo! Jackie pulled on her coat and made her way to the front door. CLARC followed her then stopping by the door whistled her a good evening with the girls.

Gaps

• CLARC - The Care and Living Assistive Robotic Companion. Such personal robotic companions are not commercially available at this time.
• Many of the functions perfromed by CLARC are available in a standalone capacity. For example glucose or other physical measurements, medication compliance programs and videoconferencing. However these devices dont come in an 'overall package' but in standalone solutions that need to be interconnected (by someone) to support a typical daily lifestyle routine. More work is needed putting together such 'overall packages' with technology that is currently available and can be linked together.
• Body Sensors woven in to common items such as garments and furniture are being heavily researched at this time and will no doubt appear in commercial format in the coming 3-5 years