Every month, Nobi invites an AgeTech expert to share their opinion on relevant topics in the world of AgeTech.
This month, we give the floor to co-founder and CEO of Nobi, Roeland Pelgrims.
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Roeland Pelgrims, co-founder and CEO of Nobi
In the complex world of elder-care technology, an overlooked enemy lurks in the shadows: “ugliness.” But this isn't simply about a displeasing sight. Ugliness is a health hazard, a silent invader infiltrating living spaces in residential-care communities, casting a pall of gloom and mortality, eroding well-being, and mocking the lives it's purportedly designed to aid.
The power of beauty
Hard to believe? Let's bring in the science.
“We rarely stop to consider that the impact of beauty isn't merely psychological. It's physiological."
Roger Ulrich demonstrated in his landmark study that patients in rooms with garden views heal faster than those stuck staring at a brick wall. It's not just about pleasant views, it's about the power of design and aesthetic to affect our physical health—equating to shorter post-operative hospital stays, fewer negative evaluative comments from nurses, less moderate to strong medication intake, and fewer post-operative complications. That’s the power of beauty.
Delving deeper into aesthetics' healing power, Laura Gilpin and Ulrich found that psychologically appropriate artwork reduces stress and improves pain relief outcomes. Light, an often-underestimated factor, has a potent role as well. Bright light therapy, according to Charmane Eastman et alhas a specific anti-depressant effect beyond placebo. K.M Beauchemin and P. Hays found that patients had shorter hospital visits when staying in sunny rooms compared with dimly lit rooms. Patients treated in sunny rooms had an average stay of 16.6 days compared with 19.5 days for those in dim rooms.
Yet, despite these irrefutable facts, many in the AgeTech world doggedly prioritize function over form. Step into nursing homes, assisted-living communities and long-term-care facilities, and you'll find cold, clinical devices transforming homely environments into stark, sterile hospital-like spaces—a disturbing avatar of ugliness.
Time to Lean Into a Beauty-and-Functionality-In-Tandem Approach
A paradigm shift is long overdue. We must abandon the “functionality-first” mantra for a “beauty-and-functionality-in-tandem approach.” Given the state of current scientific understanding, failure to consider aesthetics in designing care technology for older adults can be construed as nothing short of neglect—in other words, knowingly causing harm when it's avoidable.
"Ugliness kills, but beauty heals."
The sterile aesthetic of traditional medical devices degrades both the environment and health outcomes. Conversely, the healing power of beauty—and light— inspires, rejuvenates, and transforms lives. It's high time we allowed aesthetics to perform their healing work in care environments, turning spaces that whisper reminders of mortality into arenas that sing songs of life. It's time we stopped the neglect. It's time we let beauty heal.
Enter the vanguards of change, like the award-winning smart lamps from Nobi. These devices are not merely functional; they are aesthetically pleasing, transforming spaces with a warm, comforting glow while performing vital tasks. With advanced features like circadian rhythm technology, they emulate the natural daylight color scheme, enhancing mental state and biorhythms.
Our innovative AI-powered smart lamps embody our mission to empower older adults and their caregivers, not just by offering vital features like fall detection and prevention, but also by enhancing their environment with an award-winning design that brings joy and adds aesthetic value. We create not just care technology, but integral parts of the home. Beautiful to look at and simple to use, our lamps shatter the notion that utility must come at the expense of beauty. And that care must…well…look like care.
Product Design as an Accelerator for Disruption
AgeTech products like Nobi’s are able to fundamentally disrupt today’s elder care and make a difference in the lives of millions of older adults, their families and caregivers.
To succeed, Nobi is convinced that product design will play a crucial role in bridging the gap between older adults and care technology. In its ambition to convince older adults to adopt new technologies, Nobi felt the urge to develop a product that people not only need, but also want. That’s why Nobi came up with a life-saving fall-detection device in the form of a stylish lamp.
Four award-winning design principles
This everyday object doesn’t resemble typical care technology and blends in in every interior. When developing the new generation of Nobi lamps, a complex R&D process was conducted that resulted in four award-winning design principles:
- Simple
The installation process was simplified.
- Discreet
As elderly people don’t like to be stigmatized as ‘old and needy’, any aspect that might lead one to think that there is care technology inside was taken away. Nobi wants to be discreet and non-intrusive. That way it encourages elderly people to welcome Nobi in their home. That’s how these smart lamps compete with invasive, traditional fall detection systems.
- User-Friendly
To bridge the gap between elderly people and high-tech solutions, Nobi decided its lamps had to be extremely easy to use. That’s why no action is needed when people are in need for help. Nobi doesn’t need a push on a red button, or a push on the wall. Nobi’s assistance procedure automatically starts 30 seconds after the fall.
- Cozy
Inspired by the most traditional lamps, Nobi adapted its newest generation lamps to better suit the users' environment.
A Mission to Empower Older Adults and Their Caregivers
At the end of the day, we aren't merely caring for bodies. We're caring for people. And people thrive where they feel at home. Where they are surrounded by beauty. Where the environment inspires life, not the anticipation of its end. Design, in this context, isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. Because ugliness, whether in the form of a brick wall or a jarring medical device, doesn't just bring down the mood. It kills the spirit. It eats away at older adults’ mental wellbeing, and in doing so, it impacts their physical health.
“However, beauty has the power to inspire, heal, and transform lives.”
Want to know more about Nobi's smart lamp?
Find out all about it here.