Peekaroom turns your television into a video calling device at the click of a button! Bring your isolated loved ones closer with technology as simple to use as turning on a television.
Longevity and falling birth rates are making Europe one of the leading communities in ageing population. By 2060, 155 million Europeans - 30 percent of the total European population - will be aged 65 and older. According to these same conservative estimates, by 2060, 30 percent of the over-65 population (~45 million) will have at least one disability that disrupts theirs activities of daily living.
- Senior loneliness and the COVID-19
Before COVID-19, more than 75% of retirees reported wanting to age in place as long as possible.
Chronic loneliness can shorten one’s life span by as much as 20 years, accelerating dementia, anxiety and problems with physical health. Loneliness also has a negative impact on seniors’ immune systems, increasing inflammation and decreasing antiviral activity, making them more vulnerable to illness in general and to COVID-19 in particular.
- The project
We built a device with a camera, which can be easily connected to the television, allowing you to receive calls on the television itself, in a simple way, at any time.
Peekaroom MK3 (old version)
Our system uses a normal TV set but the user is not required to change channels or sources, he/she simply needs to press 1 button to start receiving video calls through the TV.
No more complicated setups and no more switching sources, we tried to build a plug and play video call system for uncomplicated people. The user is only required to know that the “green” button means go and the “red” button means stop, just like traffic lights.
Bear in mind that the system is composed by Peekaroom devices and/or a mobile app.
- Use cases
1 - Daughter calls senior(s) living alone.
2 - Senior(s) living alone video calling each other
3 - Socially isolated, disabled, or ill individuals being monitored.
Pilot tests with the Peekaroom MK3 version
Peekaroom MK3
MK4 version of peekaroom.
Peekaroom MK4
- Concept and objective
Our goal was to create a device that was as simple as possible to use, seeking to create parallels with the day-to-day activities that we are all familiar with. We can connect to any channel provider (digital TV, satellite, DVD player, etc.) and the video output (TV or projector) and at the end between both the Peekaroom device. Peekaroom only needs to connect to the power and the internet cable (with the option of WiFi) .
Installation of Peekaroom and explanation of the features present in the MK4 version
With Peekaroom we can easily contact anyone who is watching TV at any time of the day. This aspect is fundamental for us, since it is known that the majority of the elderly do not like to use technology so as not to feel inferior when having to assume their own difficulty/limitation.
Peekaroom uses an android OS version specially developed to allow for automatic channel change when receiving calls. This allows the users to only accept/refuse the incoming call without the hassle of changing channels themselves.
Peekaroom TV app for users
Peekaroom mobile application for family members
- The biggest advantage of Peekaroom is ...
Peekaroom is installed between the television and the device that provides the channels via the HDMI cable so that the user does not have the need to know how to change channels or sources to answer calls on television. In the end of a call, the system automatically switches back to the channel it was on.
- Final notes
For more information visit:
Our 1 minute pitch:
If you are curious you can visit more of our work at:
http://bragatechbreakers.com/peekaroom-no-switching-sources-tv-video-call
