Build n Blaze CEO and internationally recognized standards authority Radia Funna delivered a groundbreaking keynote on AgeTech at the IEEE Evolution Conference introducing her revolutionary concept of Age-Responsive Design: A New Paradigm for Demographic Inversion. Speaking to global experts, innovators, and technical professionals at Tufts University, Funna unveiled a transformative framework that challenges conventional approaches to AgeTech development and establishes new standards for technology that evolves with users throughout their aging journey.

The paradigm shift Funna introduced moves beyond the conventional approach of developing separate "senior-friendly" technologies toward creating universally responsive systems that adapt to users across their entire lifespan. This approach recognizes that the aging process is highly individualized and that effective AgeTech must account for diverse needs, capabilities, and preferences within the aging population.

Supporting IEEE AgeTech Initiative Goals

The IEEE AgeTech discussion was part of IEEE Standards Association's AgeTech initiative launched to accomplish three critical goals: Identifying new standards for development, planning product certification programs, and facilitating access to publicly available datasets for AgeTech research and development. Funna's Age-Responsive Design framework directly supports these objectives by providing a standardized methodology for adaptive technology development.

Her presentation addressed the reality that while many standards exist for accessibility for people with disabilities, few if any standards address the unique issues associated with aging users. Age-Responsive Design fills this critical gap by establishing principles for technology that evolves with users rather than treating aging as a fixed set of limitations requiring static accommodations.

Implications for Global AgeTech Development

The Age-Responsive Design paradigm introduced by Funna has implications extending far beyond the IEEE AgeTech activity. Her framework supports the development of age-responsive products and services across virtually all IEEE fields of interest, from wearables, sensors, and AI to robotics, smart homes, digital companions, and cybersecurity. This comprehensive approach ensures that Age-Responsive Design can be implemented across diverse technology domains and application contexts; defining a paradigm shift that will reshape how the global technology community approaches aging and demographic change.

Build n Blaze CEO and internationally recognized standards authority Radia Funna delivered a groundbreaking keynote on AgeTech at the IEEE Evolution Conference introducing her revolutionary concept of Age-Responsive Design: A New Paradigm for Demographic Inversion. Speaking to global experts, innovators, and technical professionals at Tufts University, Funna unveiled a transformative framework that challenges conventional approaches to AgeTech development and establishes new standards for technology that evolves with users throughout their aging journey.

The paradigm shift Funna introduced moves beyond the conventional approach of developing separate "senior-friendly" technologies toward creating universally responsive systems that adapt to users across their entire lifespan. This approach recognizes that the aging process is highly individualized and that effective AgeTech must account for diverse needs, capabilities, and preferences within the aging population.

Supporting IEEE AgeTech Initiative Goals

The IEEE AgeTech discussion was part of IEEE Standards Association's AgeTech initiative launched to accomplish three critical goals: Identifying new standards for development, planning product certification programs, and facilitating access to publicly available datasets for AgeTech research and development. Funna's Age-Responsive Design framework directly supports these objectives by providing a standardized methodology for adaptive technology development.

Her presentation addressed the reality that while many standards exist for accessibility for people with disabilities, few if any standards address the unique issues associated with aging users. Age-Responsive Design fills this critical gap by establishing principles for technology that evolves with users rather than treating aging as a fixed set of limitations requiring static accommodations.

Implications for Global AgeTech Development

The Age-Responsive Design paradigm introduced by Funna has implications extending far beyond the IEEE AgeTech activity. Her framework supports the development of age-responsive products and services across virtually all IEEE fields of interest, from wearables, sensors, and AI to robotics, smart homes, digital companions, and cybersecurity. This comprehensive approach ensures that Age-Responsive Design can be implemented across diverse technology domains and application contexts; defining a paradigm shift that will reshape how the global technology community approaches aging and demographic change.