NOA meets NATAIS: NATure- and Animal-Inspired Strategies for NOA, an artificially intelligent virtual assistant in dementia care
We study how nature and animals can make a digital assistant for dementia more appealing and useful
In this project, knowledge institutions and companies are working together on a digital assistant for people living with dementia. The knowledge partners are the Open Universiteit, Radboudumc, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, and UMCG. The Eindhoven-based company Mentech developed this digital assistant, and Goudzien works together with the knowledge institutions to make the assistant more attractive and more pleasant to use. The project starts in May 2026 and runs for three years. In addition to improved prototypes, the project will generate knowledge to help digital support at home better match the needs of people living with dementia and their relatives.
Around 310,000 people in the Netherlands are currently living with dementia, and this number may rise to more than 610,000 by 2050. Many people want or need to remain living at home for as long as possible. This is not always easy, especially given the current shortages of care staff. Informal caregivers are also often heavily burdened. Innovation is therefore needed: not only technology that is capable of doing something, but technology that is also genuinely pleasant, clear, and sustainable in everyday use.
The digital assistant NOA supports daily routines, such as reminders, explanations, contact, and relaxation through a tablet, phone, or computer. We are investigating whether nature- and animal-based elements in NOA’s appearance, sound, and behaviour make people find the assistant more pleasant and help them continue using it for longer. We do this together with people living with dementia, their relatives, and care professionals. We design new variants, ask users what they think of them, and also measure how they respond, for example through viewing behaviour and observations.
The project is expected to result in new concepts and interactive research prototypes of NOA, practical design guidelines, and a framework for measuring sustained use. In the longer term, this may contribute to more calm, structure, and pleasant moments at home for people living with dementia and their relatives. It will also provide healthcare organisations and companies with guidance for developing and evaluating digital support more effectively.
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