From the Series
In 2006, around 11 per cent of the world’s population was over the age of 60. By 2050, this community will have doubled to 22 per cent, putting a strain on healthcare, the economy and infrastructure. But what if we could provide tools that allow the elderly to live independently for longer? Geert Houben, founder and CEO of Cubigo, believes that by integrating our current systems we could empower the elderly, moving them from healthcare to self-care.
Cubigo is a cloud-based platform that integrates existing technologies in one, easy-to-access space. The system is the internet equivalent of a universal remote.
Speaking at the at the New Cities Summit 2016 in Montréal, Canada, Houben explained that a personal experience pushed him to create the system. His grandmother suffered from Dementia before she passed away, putting a tremendous strain on the family. He witnessed his parents struggle to communicate with and care for the ailing woman. When she passes, Houben realised that integration could provide an easy way to coordinate health care, social contact, patient groups and even grocery shopping.
Cubigo combines all these necessary functions in one easy-to-use interface. “Cubigo allows each user to choose amongst a broad set of functions: making doctor’s appointments, setting up video calls with family, reading up on local news or events, tracking and sharing medical data, ordering meals at home, creating medication reminders, and so on,” reads the project page.
Cubigo is also an open platform, meaning any third-party is welcome to connect itself to the Cubigo ecosystem and its users.
