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Disrupting The Way We Age


Technology continues to transform the way we live and work


BY COLIN MILNER W


hat will it take to age well? This simple question has spawned industries around the world, as re-


searchers, product developers and ser- vice providers all search for optimal solutions. There is a growing thirst within so-


ciety, among young and old alike, not only to manage the challenges of poor health, but also to embrace the oppor- tunities associated with aging well.


24 Fitness Business Canada November/December 2017 The heartbeat of aging well? It


might just be technology. Today’s technology offers us the


ability to fill the gaps, to meet new expectations and to connect in ways once left to the imagination of science fiction writers. The human touch must never be replaced. Yet we certainly are working hard at replacing humans— think robotics and artificial intelli- gence, as well as the environments we engage with; think augmented reality,


virtual reality and holograms. These are only a few of the ways in which we will interact differently in the future. Let’s consider a few technologies set


to disrupt the fitness industry and the way we age:


Independence with technology The merging of science and technol- ogy will continue to transform society in the months and years to come, and with it, the possibilities to live well as we age. One particular technology to watch? Exoskeletons. This kind of technology promises to disrupt how so many of us function in old age. Robotic exoskeletons (remember


RoboCop?) are already worn to en- hance strength, power and endurance in the workplace and on the battle- field. They are also utilized by ther- apy providers as rehabilitation tools. A California-based market research firm reported last year that health- care accounted for 54.1 percent of the USD$25.4 million in global revenues for exoskeletons in 2015, “owing to the high demand from rehabilitation,


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