Creating Resilient Smart Homes with a Heart: Sustainable, Technologically Advanced Housing across the Lifespan and Frailty through Inclusive Design for People and Their Robots

Evangelia Chrysikou (), Jane P. Biddulph, Fernando Loizides, Eleftheria Savvopoulou, Jonas Rehn-Groenendijk, Nathan Jones, Amy Dennis-Jones, Akash Nandi and Chariklia Tziraki
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Evangelia Chrysikou: The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, UCL (University College London), London WC1E 7HB, UK
Jane P. Biddulph: Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL (University College London), London WC1E 7HB, UK
Fernando Loizides: School of Computer Science and Informatics, Data Science Academy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Eleftheria Savvopoulou: Independent Researcher, 17124 Athens, Greece
Jonas Rehn-Groenendijk: Innovation and Transformation Platform for Sustainable Development, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany
Nathan Jones: School of Computer Science and Informatics, Data Science Academy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
Amy Dennis-Jones: Hobbs Rehabilitation Intensive Neurotherapy Centre, Bristol BS20 0DD, UK
Akash Nandi: Department of Economics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Chariklia Tziraki: The Agri-Food and Life Sciences Institute, Research Centre, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 73133 Chania, Greece

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: The design of age-friendly homes benefits vulnerable groups, such as frail people and older adults. Advances in smart home technologies, including robots, have important synergies with homes designed for health needs. Yet, focus on environmental and sustainable housing design and improvements misses important opportunities for collective impact. Stronger involvement of disciplines, such as those from the built environment for technological integration within homes and effects on space and the community, is needed. There is a need for a unified framework integrating the needs and factors of the resident, smart home technologies and robots, and the built environment, and that includes the concept of a “home”. With the remodeling of housing towards sustainable and environmental targets, as well as advances in smart home technologies such as robots, the timeliness of shared input for the benefit of residents now and in the future is of the essence. This would help target future research into effective and optimized cohabitation with technology within homes for the purpose of improving the wellbeing of residents.

Keywords: built environment; community; smart home; smart home technology; age-friendly; ageing; frailty; sustainability; environment; net zero (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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