The groundbreaking therapeutic music-with-movement system invented by PolyU researchers won a prestigious global consumer product award in the “Accessibility & Aging Tech” category at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Innovation Awards 2024.
Being the only Hong Kong educational institution to receive this award is a testament to the exceptional impact of the music-with-movement intervention on older adults and their caregivers. An integral part of CES, the annual CES® Innovation Awards recognise outstanding innovations in design, evaluating products based on engineering quality, aesthetics and design, practical value, uniqueness, and their impact on quality of life.
Prof. Daphne CHEUNG, Associate Professor, led the project that developed the “Music-with-movement system for older adults”. The research team merged an existing therapeutic music intervention system with advances in medical research and engineering technology for the ageing population. This groundbreaking system enables caregivers and staff working in the elderly care sector to effectively and efficiently engage older adults in a music intervention.
The music-with-movement system combines many elements, such as songs, Augmented Reality (AR) interactive games, and motion sensors, into a tablet-based gaming and cloud-based management platform. The integration of oldies music with motion sensors and AR makes this system the first of its kind in music interventions. The interactive and cognitively stimulating musical games aim to maintain the cognitive and social stimulation levels of older adults. The user-friendly design of this therapeutic programme also helps alleviate issues caused by social isolation.
Prof. CHEUNG said: “It’s my greatest honour to receive this award in recognition of the application of our research into ageing technology, a key focus in our work related to the increasing ageing population. The music-with-movement programme reinforces sustainable adoption among older adults for their consistent engagement and facilitates effective intervention and communication”.
Although the music-with-movement programme was developed for people with dementia in Hong Kong, it was later extended to family caregivers as a dyadic intervention. Integrating current information and communication technology as implementation strategies for music interventions generates effective communication and collaboration and more effective connections between older adults, caregivers, staff working in elderly centres, and health professionals.
The CES Innovation Awards 2024 ceremony was held in Las Vegas, U.S., from 9 to 12 January 2024. CES is one of the world’s largest consumer technology trade fairs, bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders from around the world. It provides a platform to showcase cutting-edge technologies and breakthrough research.
