Experience Extension provides the possibility for disabled people at home, in a nursing home or even in a hospital to visit the outside world again without actually leaving their homes. A friend or family member carries a camera headset connected to the mobile internet and is able to share their experience where ever he or she goes.
While the mobile friend or family member is outside, the disabled person can see what the mobile person sees by watching the video from their computer. Because there is also an audio connection, the disabled person could tell him or her where to go or what to look at. In theory, this could be anywhere on the planet as long as their is a mobile internet connection.
The (older) disabled person will be able to retrieve memories from streets, houses, or even people of their choice. In return, the friend or family member can hear personal stories about the place that they are currently visiting. It is also possible to visit places that the disabled person has never been before, maybe because the disabled person never had the resources or capabilities in the past. With Experience Extension, someone with legs can replace the eyes and ears of someone in a wheelchair. Floor (the lady in the documentary) visiting Artis (the zoo in Amsterdam) is a great example of this. Unfortunately she could never go outside anymore due to a bone-desease; any bump could break her bones.
Since we used existing technologies, building the actual product was not our biggest challenge. But placing it into the right context on the other hand made this project very successful. We asked several nursing homes if they would like to help us with taking the project into practice, and they were all very enthousiastic. Even more after the first test rounds, it was received very well by the participants.
