DiGeWohl
Participatory Development and Evaluation of a Dialogue-Based Companion to Support Independent Living in Older Age
Project Overview
Participatory development of an AI-powered mobile companion to support older adults living alone in their daily lives
The proportion of older adults living alone at home is steadily increasing as a result of demographic and societal change. Feelings of loneliness and cognitive impairments can significantly hinder the management of everyday life. Many older adults prefer to remain in their own homes rather than move into residential care facilities; however, personal support from family or friends is not always available, and community-based care services are often overstretched.
In the DiGeWohl project, we are using a participatory approach to develop a mobile companion in the form of a robotic dog that enables users to communicate in natural German through large language models. The robotic dog is designed to provide practical assistance—for example, by answering questions about medication schedules or helping with appointment management—while also engaging users in conversations about everyday life and personally meaningful biographical topics.
// Objectives
The DiGeWohl project pursues three overarching objectives—from participatory design and prototype development 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.
Project Team
An Interdisciplinary Team of Experts
Dagmar Meyer
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Research Professorship in Assistive Technologies at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.
Claudia Kaiser
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Chair of Social Gerontology at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Social Work.
Carsten Meyer
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Chair of Artificial Intelligence at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Computer Science.
Ralf Imhof
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Chair of Private Commercial Law with a specialization in Information and Communication Technology Law at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Law.
// Contact Us
Get in Touch
Are you interested in our research? Do you have questions about the project? We would be happy to hear from you.
Adress
Hochschule Ostfalia für angewandte Wissenschaften
Salzdahlumer Str. 46/48
38302 Wolfenbüttel
dagmar.meyer@ostfalia.de
Phone
+49 5331 939-42420