Baycrest

NEXT LEAP SPARKING INNOVATIVE THINKING WATCH It's a familiar scenario for a growing number of people: you are at work and your 86-year- old father is home alone across the city. His health is good but his memory is declining. He sometimes forgets to turn off the stove or take his medication at 10 a.m. What to do? The new Innovation, Technology and Design (ITD) Laboratory that opened at Baycrest this year is seeking answers to that particular question, as well as a host of others related to the aging experience. At an ITD Lab open house in February, a four-foot- tall "telepresence robot" with an iPad for a head, moved niftily in all directions, quickly attracting a crowd of onlookers. The open house show- cased several cutting-edge projects that might poten- tially help meet the challenges facing the health-care system and an aging population. Working with industry partner CrossWing Inc., Baycrest is exploring assisted living, telepres- 360° 26 2011/12 Baycrest and Baycrest Foundation Annual Report ence robotic applications for the home and long- term care facilities. The technology would enable a family caregiver to use their home or work computer to communicate with, and monitor from a distance, their frail family member. The robot's iPad head pro- vides two-way visual communication, so both par- ties can see and talk to each other. A small mirror- like camera mounted on the robot's pedestal body captures a 360-degree view of the room it is in. The ITD Lab is outfitted with white floor-to-ceiling walls that serve as "doodle" pads for brainstorming. The space brings together clinicians, scientists, in- dustry representatives, artists, designers, engineers, architects, students, family caregivers and seniors to explore creative ways of thinking and solving problems. The discussions act as a springboard for developing and evaluating innovative products, technologies and processes, with potential com- mercial application, that enable successful aging at home and improve the care environment within the institutional setting. The lab is unique for being on a campus that includes a continuum of care for older adults, a world-renowned cognitive neuroscience centre, and top minds focused on aging. "We also want to engage people not just in health care, but anyone who can contribute new perspectives and ways of exploring solutions," says Bianca Stern, director of Culture, Arts and Innova- tion at Baycrest. "The ITD Lab is the place where people can take their ideas from inception to market-ready launch." The robot's iPad head provides two-way visual communica- tion, so both parties can see and talk to each other. A small mirror-like camera mounted on the robot's pedestal body captures a 360-degree view of the room it is in.

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