Walkers are being developed that can steer away from obstacles and be retrieved by remote control, to prevent falls while trying to reach the walker. And Oregon Health & Science University is developing a cane that can detect gait, pressure and other warning signs, and sound an alarm when a person is in danger of falling. When used with sensors, it also could be programmed to beep when the user gets up out of a favorite chair, for instance, but forgets where he put his cane, or to alert caregivers when the user is in danger of falling.

Many people end up in nursing homes because of poor medication management. So several companies and universities are working on "smart" pill dispensers. Intel is working with Oregon Health & Science University to design and test a pillbox (above) that works with location sensors to give reminders at the appropriate place and time. Aurora Health Care in Milwaukee also has a pillbox ($800, or leased for $90 a month) that can be programmed to flash, speak reminders and dispense up to six doses a day for 10 days. If you miss a dose by 90 minutes, it can call a caregiver.

Robots are being developed to help homecare workers lift people who cannot walk or help older folks with other activities. "Pearl the Nursebot" (at left) is a prototype being developed at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. A Battlefield Extraction and Retrieval robot (BEAR, shown in illustration, above) is being developed by Vecna Technologies of College Park, Md., with funding from the U.S. military. It will lift and carry people with extreme mobility impairments, including soldiers injured on the battlefield, but also hospital and nursing home patients or older people who live alone and fall. It could be available in two to three years, Vecna's Jonathan Klein says.