For customers of Eihoo Health Management, an operator of senior citizen cafeterias, it's their dinner plates that keep watch: the plates are embedded with chips that identify the food being served.
A cash register at check-out reads the chips and delivers an instant nutritional report complete with calorie count and breakdown of macronutrients -- cutting workloads for service staff and health workers.
Regular diners can set up payment cards that track their weight, nutritional habits and health status.
At another booth, students from Shanghai's Jiao Tong University tinkered with the code for a robotic arm designed to help elders with limited mobility perform daily tasks such as eating and turning doorknobs.
The turn to high-tech solutions is a stark contrast to the traditional Chinese ideal of ageing at home under the care of family members.
Shi Wenjun, a 73-year-old visitor, said there were "definite differences" for elderly Chinese today compared to previous generations.
"We are all parents of only children... our children are nearly 50 and they have their own work and families, so when we're old, we will choose the elder care organisations provided by the government, group forms of elder care," she told AFP.
"If older people can use smart technologies, they won't bother others," Shi said.
Shi, a volunteer who organises activities for other seniors in her neighbourhood, said she had caught up with many new technologies, including smartphones.
"But for a lot of things, we are still in the process of learning and figuring it out," she said.
Source: AFP
