Relaxing, individualized travel for physically-challenged seniors

The older couple is enthusiastic. “All the cultural activities and the beautiful surroundings!” Despite their advanced age and several age-related restrictions, both of them have signed up again for an individualized trip to Munich. In the morning, a trip to Lake Starnberg, then in the evening to the Bavarian State Opera. The couple can manage this effortlessly – despite mobility and vision impairments. For they put together and booked the trip, hotel, and leisure time activities on an internet platform designed for senior-oriented, individualized travel.

Unfortunately, the scenario described is only a dream of the future. In reality, impaired seniors never sign up for this kind of travel. About 20% of seniors leave their suitcases in the closet – despite longing to travel – mostly for reasons of health, as the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart found out. To change this, the research- ers are working on a centralized travel platform for older persons under a project called “Senior Vacation Travel with Individualized Services” (URAiS). There, seniors receive appropriate suggestions for travel that are individually tailored to their needs and they remained in contact with service provider during the trip. An initial pilot version of the URAiS platform will be launched in September, which is also to be offered as an app. Deutsche Bahn (the German national train system) is participating, as is IT service provider Infoman, the Ruppin Seenland Tourist Association, and the Swabian Alps Rehabilitation Clinic.

Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO
Nobelstr. 12 | 70569 Stuttgart | www.iao.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Stefan Strunck | Phone +49 711 970-5438 | stefan.strunck@iao.fraunhofer.de
Press: Juliane Segedi | Phone +49 711 970-2124 | presse@iao.fraunhofer.de

Previously, an airplane. Now, a tennis racket.

Aircraft have not been birds of steel for a long while. Instead, they are increasingly built of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, because this material is significantly lighter, but has similar strength to metal. The situation for recycling of this material is poor. Recycling the fibers has not been economical so far – no suitable process is available. Of course, the fibers can be separated from the polymer that surrounds them using pyrolysis. In the process, the material is heated in vacuum to 1200 degrees Celsius. The problem: the fibers are crumpled after this procedure and the jumble is difficult to unravel. In addition, they lose tensile strength. The recovered samples lie around 40 to 50 percent. The scientists of the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP are therefore developing an advanced process that originally was used in mining – to obtain diamonds from the surrounding rock, for example.

The principle: the researchers “shoot” the carbon-reinforced plastic with lightning. The current flows primarily along the phase boundaries and separates the fibers from the surrounding polymer. If the fibers are bombarded too long, however, they decompose into carbon dust. The researchers have therefore applied water circulation to wash out the fibers which have already been loosened. Their tensile strength is notably better than with pyrolysis. At the moment, the recycled fibers retain 60 percent of their initial tensile strength. The researchers would like to increase this to 80 percent over the long term – enough to fabricate tennis rackets with them, for example. The goal in about two to three years is to recover one ton of carbon reinforced plastic per hour in this way.

Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP
Fraunhoferstr. 10 | 83626 Valley | www.ibp.fraunhofer.de
Contact: Dr. Volker Thome | Phone +49 8024 643-623 | volker.thome@ibp.fraunhofer.de
Press: Janis Eitner | Phone +49 8024 643-203 | janis.eitner@ibp.fraunhofer.de

Service robots for seniors

Mr. M no longer sees as well and can only get around with a cane. Nevertheless, moving into a nursing home for the solitary 80-year-old is out of the question. Like Mr. M., most older persons prefer to remain in their own four walls independently as long as possible. In future, semi-autonomous service robots could be supporting seniors in need of assistance to maintain their household and afford them an independent life in familiar surroundings. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA have developed the sensor and control functions necessary for such a “shadow robot” as well as the corresponding user and communications interfaces. The researchers have adjusted and tested the implementation on their robotic home assistant Care-O-Bot 3 in conjunction with eleven other partners in the EU-sponsored SRS Project, short for Multi-Role Shadow Robot System for Independent Living.

Normally, the seniors users control the robot themselves. However, an external call center can also intercede and operate it remotely, for instance if the robot cannot solve difficult assignments automatically. The call center can also take over control of the shadow robot in emergencies and use it to establish contact with the senior thus ensuring rapid and appropriate assistance. Using the monitoring functions, concerned family members also have the capability of communicating with their relatives, just as if they were there themselves.

Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA
Nobelstr. 12 | 70569 Stuttgart | www.ipa.fraunhofer.de
Contact:  Dr. Birgit Graf | Phone +49 711 970-1910 | birgit.graf@ipa.fraunhofer.de
Press: Axel Storz | Phone +49 711 970-3660 | axel.storz@ipa.fraunhofer.de