i-pot helps elders feel less lonely

by Barb Dybwad, posted Apr 15th 2005 at 2:00AM

No, it's not the stuff that Ellen Feiss smokes. It's an electric kettle that keeps track of when it's used and wirelessly sends a signal to a server with the data. Members of the service can see records of i-pot usage data, and twice a day a designated recipient gets an email with the three most recent usage times. The idea is to notify friends and relatives of a sudden change in an elderly person's tea habits, in order to act as an early warning system in case of emergency. The i-pot is in use in Japan, where an increasing number of the elderly are living, and dying, alone. Seniors who use the i-pot report feeling less alone, knowing that somebody else is able to monitor them via the data sent by the kettle.

Filed under: Household, Wireless

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Neutral

Gabe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

What a sad, sad commentary on Japanese society.

Neutral

Awesom-o @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

What if they just don't feel like tea that day...

Neutral

CL @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

cool concept, just hope that Apple don't get trigger happy as usual and sue them to the end of the world.

Neutral

petro @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

Even better more reliable idea [patent pending]:

iShitter -- a revolutionary toilet that sends an email to all of your friends and family whenever the user makes potty. iShitter comes complete with wifi-enabled iFlush technology. You're loved will sleep soundly knowing you've accomplished your daily bowel movement.

More seriously though, if I were recieving an email from Grandma everytime she enjoyed a cup -- I'd probably fill her sugar bowl with rat poison.

Neutral

Mix @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

HEY! Thats my idea! lol

Well it was my joke on april fools. :D

"You�ve probably have heard about all the great devices that have been released using USB ports, but a new company has decided to take it one step further.

The USB toilet is a fully functional flushing device (FFFD) that you can take anywhere. Great for camping trips or just for an excuse to never get up from the computer. It is fully powered through the included USB cable, so you don�t have to worry about batteries. It will sell for around $500US and will come in custom colors.

Rumor has it that there will also be a wireless version released later this year that allows you to send 'streaming' packets to any wireless device within 200ft."

Yes I know its a little sick if you think about it. But its good for a chuckle.

Neutral

mikedt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

As sad and depressing as this may sound, alot of elderly in the "capitalist" society are living alone. Since they are no longer able to produce any type of "product," they tend to be thrown on the sidelines, and therefore neglected.

In Japan, there are alot of elderly living alot longer due to like their awesome health care, and therefore, they end up outliving their mates and living alone.

Don't think that this only happens in Japan. It happens in America too. One instance is the 1995 Chicago heatwave. There were alot of senior citizens living alone, and alot of them were neglected. They were too afraid to leave their apartment because they feared muggers and killers and stuff so they locked themselves in their apartment with lack of a working air conditioner. Some of them die in their apartment and were not found for days. Friends and relatives have not contacted them for days, weeks, or even years.

So atleast this pot can monitor and maybe atleast help one person.

Neutral

CamBob @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

"What if they just don't feel like tea that day..."

Dude, obviously you've never been to Asia. It's sick the amount of tea they drink there.

Neutral

K Honeycutt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

This product has been in use for a few years here. Pretty much every house is armed with a electric "pot" of some sort (mine included) and they are not just used for tea. Good for coffee, cup-o-noodle (instant ramen), mixing with shochu (or vodka), etc, etc.

Neutral

David Kaspar @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

I think a visit every now and then would do wonders for the elder parents not feeling lonely.

Neutral

gt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

actually i just helped my girlfriend's grandma move into a retirement community and her grandma was complaining how the refrigerator has a sensor on it and if she doesnt use it in a 24 hour period they check up on the unit. if she goes out of town she has to notify them.

Neutral

Clarifying a few misconceptions @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM

"What if they just don't feel like tea that day..."

The elderly have already done all the wild and crazy things they wanted to do in their youth. At their age, routine is the biggest thing they have, in fact, it's a welcome thing. If they can do the same things today that they did yesterday, it means their health is not getting worse. So yeah, they will have tea every day. If they don't, something's wrong.

"Even better more reliable idea [patent pending]: iShitter..."

I realize this is a joke, but not really more reliable: you're young and regular, the elderly aren't. As long as they're healthy, they WILL have tea everyday, but necessarily a dump.

"What a sad, sad commentary on Japanese society."

This also happens in USA and Canada. I'm in Vancouver where we have a LOT of support for the elderly, and still one passed away in my own building and it took a couple of days to find out. But yeah, in most other societies, the families are more closely knit and the parents move back in with their children in their golden years, that helps a LOT.