Using modified MP3 players, computers and large touch-screen monitors in high-contrast colours for people with impaired vision, Charles De Vilmorin and Herve Roussel have created a digital kiosk that serves as a sort of iPod for older people.
Mr De Vilmorin, who came to the United States from France as part of a study programme, said the kiosk allows people to download music, news or audio entertainment from a menu tailored to their interests.
The system, produced by their start-up company, Linked Senior, has been in use for about 1 years by residents at Vinson Hall Retirement Community.
At the kiosk near the cafeteria in Vinson Hall, residents can download big-band music, spoken books, audio news taken from print media such as the Economist, cooking lessons with Julia Child and on-air dramas such as Dragnet that played in an era when "wireless" referred generally to AM radio.
Users don't have to log in, remember passwords or strain to read and type on a tiny screen, Mr De Vilmorin said. Instead, they receive a small MP3 player that can be plugged into the kiosk, allowing them to choose material from a menu on a large touch-screen.
Even the language has been modified: Instead of "download," the computer programme asks users whether they would like to "take" a selection. The system can search or browse selections and make suggestions based on users' tastes.
Other content can tie in with activities in the retirement community: A user might download an audio guide to a museum that members plan to visit, for instance.
"The system is wonderful," 80-year-old resident Marta Harkins, who has trouble reading large-print books, said. Her grandson had given her an iPod to use on a long trip, filling it with the audio books she loves, but Ms Harkins found the device difficult because of its tiny buttons and text.
"Believe me, when you reach this stage, you can't see anymore," she said.
That's less true of the Linked Senior device, she said, with its plug-and-play features and its high-contrast, flat screen, lighted in yellow and black or black and white, to help visually impaired users. About once a week, she downloads a novel, such as E.M. Forster's Howards End, and drops the loaded device in her purse.
Fred Johnson, director of programmes and special events at Vinson Hall, said residents helped the inventors tweak their product to deliver what they wanted.
"The residents basically dictated what this is," Mr Johnson said.
The device has been tested at Vinson Hall, an independent-living community that serves military retirees and their families, and three other local communities. Mr De Vilmorin said the cost of the system is $15 to $20 per bed per month.
Mr De Vilmorin (29) went to American University as part of a programme with Dauphine University in Paris six years ago. After working as a consultant, he began working on a master's degree at Georgetown University in the field of communication culture and technology.
Influenced by French philosopher Michel Foucault's critical studies of closed communities, Mr De Vilmorin became interested in retirement communities, especially after his grandmother entered one outside Paris.
"Residents of retirement homes tend to be very secluded and cut off from the world, and the quality of entertainment is not too great," he said.
He and Mr Roussel (27) started searching for ways to allow older people to easily tap into the digital world. Few high-tech devices are designed for people with impairments, so they explored making universal design features that make it easier to use for people with disabilities.
Though many websites cater for young people, few exist for older people, they found. To satisfy an older audience, Mr De Vilmorin tapped the Library of Congress's collections of old radio recordings and other content and made it accessible.
- By Fredrick Kunkle
