Understanding the roles of social and tangible technologies in maintaining social interaction, habits and independence into old age

The research offers a deeper understanding of how objects currently facilitate social interaction and physical activity for older adults living independently. It uses this awareness to develop, from a human perspective, considerations for the design of internet connected objects that provide novel ways of maintaining contact with loved ones. The research found that people invest emotional attachment to objects and objects foster emotional responses in people. Objects can facilitate feeling connected to another however the relationship is a result of time and repeated interaction. Recreating this connection/relationship digitally is not as simple as attaching a hyperlink.