A Conceptual Design of Morning Water Dispenser for Elders

• Main Authors: Chia-Jung Lee, 李佳融
• Other Authors: 王鴻祥
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/nudeq2

碩士 === 國立臺北科技大學 === 創新設計研究所 === 101 === Drinking water is an important way in which humans stay alive and remain healthy. Ensuring a sufficient water intake is particularly important among the elderly, and this is especially true in the morning, when water in the body has evaporated as perspiration during sleep. Because blood pressure rises when water in the body is reduced, it is easy for life-threatening illnesses such as strokes, thrombosis and myocardial infractions to occur in the morning. This study is aimed at issues affecting aging societies in developed countries around the world, and looks at guided morning water dispensers designed for elderly people who live alone and lack sufficient care. The design steps are divided into two stages, each of which includes the design of morning water dispensers and interviews with elderly people about how satisfied they were with the design. Apart from using a guiding system to encourage elderly people to get into the habit of drinking water in the morning, the design concept also incorporates orange technology, which aims to provide care and meet basic human needs, and the Internet of Things, which people around the world are striving to help develop. The aim is for the design of the morning water dispenser to combine reminders, interactivity and care technical functionality. Analysis of the design and interviews with elderly people in the two sections yielded the following discoveries: (1) Elderly people are willing to be guided by the water dispenser in drinking water after they get up in the morning, and acknowledge the health benefits of this; (2) It is safer and more convenient to install the water dispenser in the bathroom as opposed to at the top of the bed; (3) Elderly people’s satisfaction with their quality of life could be increased if the water dispenser also provided reminders and information about important things that needed to be done (such as taking medicine); (4) The water dispenser could send everyday drinking and life information of the elderly to the relatives. This means the elderly can be taken care of on a full scale.