5G Barcelona rewards Cisco and Nae’s initiative to improve the lives of the elderly

The platform minimizes social isolation and favors interaction through recreational and social activities

Population aging is one of the most important social challenges facing cities. In Barcelona, more than 90,000 people over the age of 65 live alone.

With the aim of finding technological solutions to increase the independence of the elderly and to strengthen their sense of autonomy, Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the Barcelona City Council, within the framework of 5G Barcelona, launched a call for pilot projects worldwide.

The winning proposals—among the 53 applications received—, include the robotic assistant by the Saltó Group and the joint project by Cisco and Nae, based on a platform aimed at reducing feelings of loneliness and creating emotional ties among its users.

Misty II

The robot, developed by the Saltó Group, is capable of moving and interacting with the user and comes with a camera, microphone, sensors and an Android operating system. Misty acts as an assistance and surveillance platform, that is, it is found in the elderly person’s home, it talks with them, it asks them questions about their daily habits (medication, food, etc.) and it can initiate video conferences with medical assistance services.

Deleting Loneliness

“Deleting Loneliness” is the platform developed by Cisco, with the collaboration of Nae, which allows users experiencing social isolation to participate in activities such as visiting a museum, going to the doctor or connecting with family members, fostering and strengthening ties that would otherwise be very difficult to establish without technology.

The solution automatically detects the presence of people to facilitate interaction and is used through a touch screen. It is an elderly-oriented platform, featuring 5G technology to provide immersive experiences.

“We at Nae are very proud to have collaborated with Cisco in putting technology to work for people because the opposite would make little sense,” explained Ginés Alarcón, the president of Nae. “In today’s technological context, people are the key to moving the world forward.”