because the activity gets reduced, they start fading away», says Nacho Bermejo. The challenge is to reach more population with fewer resources. «Activities such as tele-rehabilitation, robotics, smart devices or ICT, allow us to reach more users and if they can be taken to the homes, for example, in rural areas, they do not need traveling to medical centers», says Alfonso Oltra. Personalization is a reality in the health and social sector. The prosthesis is being democratized. Just as feedback is important in leisure, it is also important in rehabilitation. «Using the data allows us to adapt the exercises to the specific situation, to pose possible challenges at the level of exigency and to gather information about the evolution, something essential for the adherence». In the case of shoes, you can customize the template and receive the shoes at home. Developments in R & D will pay increasing attention to functional products that provide support in matters such as cardiovascular and bone health, or enhance cognitive ability, even if they are not strictly targeted at the elderly. Also adapting existing solutions to the specific needs of people with problems getting dressed, using more comfortable textures, easier to use containers or less liquid creams. Trends such as personalized food, designed based on the genetic profile of the user will become relevant. «Through nutritional supplements, nutraceuticals, we can make this group ingest the nutrients it needs», says Encarna Gómez. At the same time, we turn back our attention to traditional ingredients «that this group can understand more» to endow them with the potential of new technologies.
Companies that change the world
Key technologies of the future Solutions with a predictive component, combining new methods of data collection and monitoring with artificial intelligence systems, will gain prominence in this new era of ages without borders and scarcity of resources. If by improving the environment we can make hip surgery unnecessary, because we have been able to prevent the cause, efficiency increases. «That is why we are working on processes to prevent older people from falling and getting hurt», says Nacho Bermejo. The ways to collect information are increased with the new interaction platforms in the Internet. «In the co-creation processes, we take into account the opinion of consumers in social networks», says the Head of AINIA. «We have a ICT department that works in Big Data: it carries out consumer studies online, to know what they want and how to answer to their demand, as well as to make market prospects». In the implementation phase, the 4.0 Industry revolution will transform product design and development. Regarding food, textures will be modified using new ingredients, electrical pulses, high pressures, superheated steam or genetic modification technologies capable of enhancing the nutrients of food. The product will also be adapted for subsequent transformation processes, for pre-cooking and enzymatic modification. 3D printing and nanomaterials burst in packaging. «The only thing 3D printers cannot do is cooking, and we are at it», says Encarna Gómez. Technologies previously used in the pharmaceutical industry are becoming more common in food. The toy industry must «reinvent» itself, as Noemi from AIJU states. It has had to find out «how to introduce new
technologies into a traditional product. Children play with the mobile phone, with the tablet, and the child population today, in 20 years, will be older». 3D printers are already being designed for children. «We are imparting courses so that every toy company can have its 3D printers». A further use of 4D materials is also projected in future. AINIA is experimenting with changes in the color of the packaging in case of degradation of the food. And the IBV is carrying out research on implants that, as soon as they are placed in the human body, change of properties and form due to the temperature. In the socio-health field, as the user data collection is so relevant», one of the technologies we are more interested in is the one that allows us to collect information about mental, physical and cardiac activity, anthropometric vision and social relationships», says Alonso Oltra. It will become increasingly common to collect information with cheap technology and turn it into the input that a technology capable of performing a 3D reproduction with the mobile phone uses. «With three pictures, you can get a foot scan and ask a shoe company in San Diego to make you a customized shoe. In a few years each person will have a database to guide their activity. Information will turn production processes upside down». All this will make each change occur faster than the previous one. «We can monitor, for example, energy consumption at the home, which is one of the most powerful indicators of functional losses of those who live there. Whether or not an elderly person turns the TV on can be the symptom of a problem that we may not have been able to monitor using other technologies. The price of key technologies like many sensors,
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