Project Alder: A Phygital Approach to Senior Wellness
1. Problem Statement and Significance
Singapore has one of the most rapidly aging populations in the world. This demographic shift brings significant challenges, including a rise in age-related health issues. Specifically, many older adults experience declining mobility, leading to a sedentary lifestyle. This is often compounded by social isolation and loneliness, which are known risk factors for cognitive decline and the onset or worsening of dementia.
The mission of Project Alder is to address these interconnected issues by creating an ecosystem that empowers older adults to live healthier, more connected, and fulfilling lives. By encouraging light physical activity and social interaction within their own neighborhoods, we aim to create a future where Singaporeans can age with grace, comfort, and dignity, ultimately improving their quality of life and reducing the strain on healthcare systems.
2. Inspiration for Solution
Our solution, "Alder: build your garden," is inspired by the highly successful productivity app Forest. The Forest app incentivizes users to stay focused by rewarding them with the growth of a virtual tree for periods of uninterrupted work. This gamified approach of using positive reinforcement to build good habits is highly effective.
We adapt this core concept for a different audience and purpose. Alder incentivizes seniors to venture out of their homes by rewarding them with the growth of a virtual plant each time they visit designated local areas. This simple, rewarding loop encourages mobility and creates organic opportunities for them to meet and socialize, slowly building a vibrant digital and physical garden that represents their active lifestyle.
3. Novelty of the Solution
Alder's uniqueness lies in its "phygital" (physical + digital) integration, designed specifically for an elderly demographic that may be less comfortable with purely digital solutions. The solution is not just an app; it's a tangible experience.
Physical Artifact: The core of the experience is a physical smart flowerpot that sits in the user's home. It features an LED light strip that acts as a real-world progress bar for their currently growing plant.
Tangible Rewards: Upon completing a plant's growth cycle in the app, users can collect a beautiful, 3D-printed physical model of that plant from their local community center.
Interactive Garden: These models are designed like decorative figurines and can be magnetically attached to the smart pot. When a plant is attached, a sensor updates the user's in-app 3D garden to mirror their physical one1, creating a seamless link between their real-world actions and their digital collection.
This blend of a software application with a tangible, interactive hardware component makes the user's achievements feel more real and satisfying, creating a powerful positive reinforcement cycle.
4. Product Usage and User Journey
The user experience is designed to be simple and encouraging.
Onboarding: Users receive their Alder smart pot and setup instructions from their local town council or community center.
Earning Points: In the companion app, the "Get Points" page displays a map showing the user's location and nearby "hotspots" where they can earn points.
Tracking Progress: As the user visits these locations, they accumulate points. This progress is visually displayed on both the in-app progress bar and the LED strip on the physical pot at home. The pot also has a speaker to offer gentle reminders and encouragement.
Completing and Collecting: Once a plant is fully grown, the user can visit their community center, show their completion status in the app, and collect the corresponding physical plant model.
Building and Sharing: They can then attach the model to their physical pot. This action automatically updates their virtual "Your Garden" space in the app, which they can view and share with family and friends6. The app also includes social features like a friend leaderboard to foster a sense of community and friendly competition.
5. Technology and Techniques
The Alder ecosystem is powered by a combination of accessible hardware and modern software technologies.
Hardware:
- Smart Pot: A custom-designed pot containing an ESP32 microcontroller for Wi-Fi connectivity, an LED strip for progress indication, a speaker for audio alerts, and sensors at each magnetic attachment point to detect the presence of a plant model.
- Plant Models: A collection of unique plant models that are 3D printed and fitted with magnetic bases.
Software (Companion App):
- Mobile Application: A cross-platform mobile app built using Expo React Native, ensuring a consistent experience on both iOS and Android devices.
- 3D Visualization: The app uses Three.js to render a real-time 3D model of the user's personal garden8, reflecting the physical pot at home.
- Geolocation: It utilizes the smartphone's GPS to power the map feature and verify visits to point-earning locations9.
- Backend Infrastructure: A cloud-based server and database manage user accounts, points, plant status, and social data, communicating with both the mobile app and the ESP32 in the smart pot.
6. The Product as a Business and at Scale
Alder is envisioned as a social enterprise, prioritizing impact over profit. Its scalability is built on a community partnership model.
Distribution Model: We will partner with Town Councils and Community Centers (CCs) across Singapore. These trusted community institutions will act as the primary channel for distributing the Alder starter kits and as collection points for the physical plant models.
Phased Rollout: The project will be launched in phases, starting with a pilot program in a few select neighborhoods. This will allow us to gather user feedback and demonstrate the program's effectiveness.
Scaling: Success in the pilot phase will provide a strong case for a nationwide rollout. The business model is designed to be funded through government grants and social impact funds. At scale, Alder can become a program that not only improves senior health but also generates valuable data to inform urban planning and community health initiatives.
7. Future Plans: Family Connect & Safety
To further enhance the ecosystem, our next step is to introduce a comprehensive tracking and communication system designed for the children and caregivers of the elderly users. This feature will provide peace of mind and create new avenues for connection.
Caregiver Accounts: Children can create their own accounts and link them to their parents' profiles.
Real-Time Tracking: From their account, a caregiver can see their parent's real-time location on a map, providing reassurance that they are safe.
AI-Powered Geofencing: The system will allow caregivers to set up safe zones (e.g., the neighborhood, a route to the market). An AI-based detection system will send an immediate notification to the caregiver if their parent unexpectedly leaves this predefined boundary.
Remote Speaker Control: Caregivers can use their app to send personalized audio messages directly to the speaker in the flower pot. This can be used for critical reminders like "Mom, it's time to take your medicine" or encouraging prompts like "It's a beautiful day to go for a walk!"
This feature set elevates Alder beyond a simple wellness app, transforming it into a powerful tool for family connectivity and safety. It provides children with more information and agency than a standard AirTag or Tile tracker, fostering a sense of security without being intrusive.
8. Conclusion: The Desired Impact
Ultimately, Project Alder aims to weave a thread of well-being, connection, and dignity through the fabric of Singapore's aging community. Our desired impact is threefold: to improve physical health by turning gentle exercise into a rewarding game; to reduce loneliness by creating organic opportunities for social interaction; and to strengthen family bonds by giving children a caring and interactive way to look after their parents. By combining the digital and physical worlds, we believe Alder can empower seniors to not just live longer, but to live better, fostering a society where aging is met with grace, activity, and joyful connection. 🌳
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