About Prof. Alex MIHAILIDIS

Profile

Alex MIHAILIDIS, PhD, PEng, is the Barbara G. Stymiest Research Chair in Rehab Technology at U of T and Toronto Rehab-UHN. He is the Scientific Director of the AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence, which focuses on the development of new technologies and services for older adults. He is Full Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and in the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering with a cross appointment in the Department of Computer Science. He has been conducting research in the field of pervasive computing and intelligent systems in health for the past 15 years, having publishing over 150 journal papers, conference papers, and abstracts in this field. He has specifically focused on the development of intelligent home systems for elder care and wellness, technology for children with autism and adaptive tools for nurses and clinical applications. His research has been completed through collaborations with other researchers in this field from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and with various industrial partners. 

Abstract

Title: Technology and Aging: Designing for our Current and Future Selves

There has been significant research completed on the development of technologies to support the wellness of older adults. However, the majority of these devices have not made it to market and suffer from various limitations that make them inappropriate for an older adult to operate efficiently and effectively.  In order to ensure that future technologies for aging are useful, new ways of thinking in their designs is required. Disruption in the current technology landscape is needed that will force the way that we think about the design of these technology to change. This presentation will discuss the notion of disruptive technologies and how we are currently applying this concept is the design of our next generation of technologies for older adults through the new AGE-WELL Network of Centres of Excellence. AGE-WELL is a federally-funded (through the Canadian Government) network of researchers, stakeholders, and industry partners all working together to change the way that technology and aging research and development is conducted in Canada.  How the network was developed will be discussed including the impact that AGE-WELL is having in Canada, and learning points for other countries looking to harness technology in helping the older adults to age well.