AgeLab research inspires an AI startup

AgeLab 的研究启发了一家 AI 初创公司

When Don Yansen ’63 arrived at the MIT AgeLab for a study on technology in caregiving for older adults, he didn’t plan to launch another company. But when he heard participants talk about how hard modern devices can be to use, he decided to develop an alternative. 当 63 届校友 Don Yansen 来到麻省理工学院 AgeLab 参加一项关于老年人护理技术的调研时，他并没有打算再创办一家公司。但当他听到参与者谈论现代设备使用起来有多困难时，他决定开发一种替代方案。

Yansen, a serial entrepreneur who retired to care for his wife, earned an MIT degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in physics from Northeastern. “What I took from MIT was a good education and the feeling I could solve difficult problems,” he says. Yansen 是一位连续创业者，他退休后为了照顾妻子。他拥有麻省理工学院的电气工程学位和东北大学的物理学硕士学位。他说：“我从麻省理工学院获得的是良好的教育，以及一种我可以解决难题的信念。”

One such problem: Many older adults “can’t even use a modern cell phone,” he says, “and very few people can use something like an Apple Watch.” So Kiwi Health, which he founded in October 2024, sells a wristband controlled primarily by voice. 其中一个难题是：许多老年人“甚至不会使用现代手机，”他说，“而且很少有人能使用像 Apple Watch 这样的设备。”因此，他在 2024 年 10 月创立了 Kiwi Health，销售一款主要通过语音控制的腕带。

Wearers can set reminders, make calls, send texts, and share health data, all without navigating screens. AI helps interpret these commands, accounting for the way voices may change with age. The device also measures health metrics and automatically alerts caregivers to falls. 佩戴者无需操作屏幕，即可设置提醒、拨打电话、发送短信和共享健康数据。人工智能有助于解读这些指令，并考虑到语音随年龄增长可能发生的变化。该设备还能测量健康指标，并在发生跌倒时自动向护理人员发出警报。

Yansen’s hope, he says, is that it can “help seniors live the best life that they can.” Yansen 表示，他的希望是这款设备能够“帮助老年人过上他们所能拥有的最好的生活。”