Exploring Smart Home in Health and Wellness: A Conversation with Qorvo’s Chitra Mysore

Healthspan is defined as when a person is healthy, not just alive. Integrating personal and health devices with smart devices within the home will bring awareness and insights that help extend healthy years of living as the world’s population ages. CSA’s Health and Wellness subgroup, comprised of more than 400 individuals from over 100 companies, aims to increase an individual’s health span by enabling the connectivity of health data.

What are some of the use cases that will be addressed?

Chitra: The Boston Consulting Group projects that by 2030, the 55-plus aged population in the U.S. will account for half of all domestic consumer spending. That number rises to 67% in Japan and 86% in Germany.

In a survey conducted in June 2023, 89% of 1,000 people who were 55 years of age and older wanted to remain in their own homes as they age rather than seek more traditional senior living situations outside of the home.

AARP estimates that consumers aged 50 and over, on average, own six tech devices, with 98% owning at least one primary device. The number of seniors accessing the internet is on the rise, as is the overarching need to live independently, free of intrusive monitoring. This underscores the need for devices and services that can talk to each other and share information with loved ones in a trusted and qualitative way.

This growing desire of seniors faces a host of obstacles, particularly as the number of medical professionals and home-healthcare workers lags in demand. The question is, can technology, particularly IoT and Smart home innovation, bridge the gap?

Chitra: Adding health devices and connectivity to smart home ecosystems helps unlock a variety of use cases – not just aging in place but extending the health span. These use cases include monitoring location, vital signs and continuous monitoring of health metrics for safety and well-being, security, signs of life, self-management and proactive treatment.

As the global population ages, there is an increasing focus on improving health span, which is heavily influenced by lifestyle choices that personal health devices can assist in making.

Are there ways to alleviate privacy concerns?

Chitra: Yes. For example, you may have an aging parent in the home who does not want to be intrusively monitored by security cameras. A host of connected Matter devices in the smart home today can be tapped to derive intelligent data. For instance, a TV that has not been turned on in the last 24 hours, a refrigerator door that has not been opened, or something as simple as a living room light that has not been turned on for an extended period of time. The data from these devices can be mined to ensure a person’s well-being and safety.

How else might new technologies be used in concert with IoT/Smart home systems?

Chitra: In addition to Qorvo’s portfolio of Matter-enabled products and solutions, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technologies can be utilized to provide an end-to-solution that incorporates precise location information. These Matter and UWB solutions can help resolve issues during emergencies, whether sending a social alarm to family or a caregiver in the event of a fall, or unlocking the front door and disarming security alarms when first responders arrive. All this can be achieved through the location accuracy enabled by UWB, resulting in a safe, secure and effective emergency response.

Learn more about lifesaving possibilities, home entertainment and automation, as well as the CSA and Qorvo’s role in shaping the future here. CSA-IOT - Connectivity Standards Alliance