Australian lab creates empathy for the elderly with designs

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China now faces the big challenge to cope with its aging population. Australian designers are working on a project which could help resolve a part of the problem.

FutureAging Lab utilizes empathy-based research methods to focus on health and positive aging –emphasizing the critical role innovative design plays in our daily lives.

What does it feel like to use chopsticks with shaking hands, or to try and open a bottle when your hands are stiff?

The Lab invites people to step into the shoes of the elderly to understand their aging issues.

Professor Vivien Sung from the University of Technology Sydney explains that the lab seeks to engage young people who are facing the problem of an aging population and develop their capacity to solve the complex issue.

Courtesy of the Australian embassy in China. /CGTN Photo

In one activity, people are asked to draw out what they hear from the earphones. But the instructions are adjusted to simulate the hearing challenges seniors face.

And the result... is far from satisfying.

There are other devices like this in the FutureAging Lab, giving people a space to reflect, re-think and re-shape a positive future for senior citizens.

The Lab is a joint effort by the University of Technology in Sydney and Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Professor Zhao Chao from Tsinghua University said design is a platform to integrate technology, human value, business and service model. He added that Tsinghua University is working to transfer "made in China" to "design in China."

CGTN Photo

Innovation and inclusivity are also strongly evident in the Young Australian Design Awards, with a selection of finalists exhibited in China for the first time.

This year's winner is a project titled "E-MOTION".

Responding to sensors which measure pulse, muscle tension and proximity, each garment displays colored light animations that emulate the physical manifestation of various emotions – be it an anxious, pounding heart, or the feeling of "butterflies."

Courtesy of Australian embassy in China. /CGTN Photo

Lilian Hambling explains her idea behind the design, "Gender stereotypes especially masculinity give society a foundation to judge what is and isn't acceptable in displaying emotions for males. So I wanted to combine wearable technology and men's wear fashion to solve this problem by giving males a new avenue of the non-verbal form of communication."

CGTN Photo