DiGeWohl – The dialogue-based companion for independent living in old age
Participatory Development of an AI-Powered Mobile Companion to Support Older Adults Living Alone in Their Daily Lives
//Background and Motivation
The proportion of older adults living alone is steadily increasing due to demographic and social changes. Feelings of loneliness and cognitive impairments can make it considerably more difficult to manage daily life. Many older adults prefer to remain in their own homes rather than live in a nursing home—but personal support from family or friends is not always available, and home care services are often overwhelmed.
Socio-technical innovations can specifically improve quality of life in the home environment and support older adults in their daily lives—as a complementary aid that meaningfully enhances personal care and human connection.
The Project
In the DiGeWohl project, we are using a participatory approach to develop a mobile companion in the form of a robot dog that allows users to communicate in natural German using large language models. The robot dog is designed to provide practical support—for example, with questions about medication schedules or scheduling appointments—while also facilitating conversations about everyday topics and topics relevant to users’ life stories.Development is taking place through an interdisciplinary and participatory process. In co-creation workshops with older adults and practice partners from the fields of housing, elder care, and senior services, we are identifying specific needs, expectations, and requirements. Data protection, ethical considerations, and aspects of user-friendliness are taken into account from the very beginning and integrated into the development process. To enable interactions that are as personalized and trusting as possible, personalized speech and memory functions are being developed and adapted to the specific needs of the target group. The mobile companion is then tested and evaluated in real-life living situations and continuously refined in collaboration with the users. In addition, support from trained volunteers is provided to assist with the introduction of the technology, alleviate reservations, and promote long-term use in everyday life.
// Project Overview
Duration
2026 – 2030
48 Monate
Institution
Ostfalia University
Wolfenbüttel
Progress
Phase 1 von 3
Funding
BMFTR
Bundesministerium
// Objectives
The DiGeWohl project has three overarching goals—ranging from participatory design and prototyping to evaluation and potential product development..
Participatory Definition of Requirements and Prototype Development
The design and functionality of the mobile, dialogue-based companion will be defined through a participatory process. Based on these requirements, an initial comprehensive prototype will be developed to support independent living in older age, focusing on selected and prioritized application areas.
Implementation and Evaluation in Private Households
In collaboration with the practice partners, the prototype will be deployed and evaluated in selected households under real-world conditions. The overall system concept will be assessed with regard to co-creation, user acceptance, technical feasibility, and ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI).
Further Development and Transition to the Product Development Phase
If the project yields positive results, the prototype will be further developed from both a technical and scientific perspective and, in collaboration with an industry partner and the practice partners, advanced into the product development phase.