Page 15 - Green Builder Magazine May-June 2019 Issue

By combining low-tech building science with high-tech tools, seniors
can live independently longer, gaining perhaps five or more years at

‘home,’ without relying on a full-time caregiver.

HEALTH CHECKUP STATION
With the ability to check blood pressure,
test heart patterns, and conduct whole-body
scanning for cancers and other concerns, the
home health station looks a lot like a vanity.
No intrusive interface, it works when the
occupants brush their teeth or wash their faces.
A mirror with built-in sensors does
much of the heavy lifting.

INTUITIVE APPLIANCES
A smart refrigerator tracks
the presence or lack of food,
monitoring what goes in and out.
Is the resident eating? If so, how healthy is their diet? Key foods
are re-ordered automatically and arrive by mail in zero-waste,
reusable packaging that simply “unzips.” The age and expiration
date of everything in the fridge is monitored, as shown in this
Samsung refrigerator detail. Stoves, microwaves and dishwasher
correlate information in the background.

POWER-DOWN
BACKUP SYSTEM
With electronic systems in place,
the Five-Year Flat has to stay
up and running all the time.
With a backup battery system
(in garage) and small solar array
on the roof, it keeps key systems
online—Wi-Fi connection,
communications and security.
A wireless propane fueled heating
backup keeps the home warm
in long outages.

WATER MONITORING
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE Smart water-monitoring
For rural dwellers, especially, the inability to drive system analyzes water use at every station
can feel like a prison sentence. But autonomous in the house, creating a smartphone-
vehicles will soon become a reality. Residents can enabled database of behavior. Toilet only
simply step into the vehicle, speak their destination and relax to flushed once today? An alert goes out. Did
their favorite music as the vehicle scoots them on their way. other abnormalities occur? Is Mom okay?

12-13 GB 0519 Five Year.indd 13 5/15/19 10:04 AM