The Centre for Usable Home Technology (CUHTec) draws on a world-class interdisciplinary research base in Computer Science, Electronics and Psychology at the University of York.
CUHTec's aim is to ensure that future home technologies meet real social and personal needs by:
- working in collaboration with users, especially older and disabled people;
- articulating user requirements for the next generation of home technologies;
- providing events, courses and information;
- brokering partnerships to implement the requirements in mainstream products.
CUHTec is a joint venture between the University of York and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Register your interest in CUHTec or become a member
Find out more about registering your interest in CUHTec (individuals) or becoming a CUHTec member (organisations) by clicking here
An example of our research
The following picture explains the Net Neighbours Service. This was the result of collaboration between some researchers funded by EPRSC and Age Concern York.
- 1. A volunteer telephones for a chat once a week, has a chat, and orders the shopping they need
- 2. The supermarket deliver the shopping
- 3. Age Concern York, administer the service collecting the money and reimbursing the volunteer
Research, in the form of interviews with older people and people who look after them, identified shopping as a real problem for people with mobility problems, also, that, for some, shopping was an important opportunity for human contact.
The researchers adapted procedures from Computer Science to the design of a reliable service whereby a volunteer can ring up an older person once a week, have a chat and order their groceries for them on-line.
The service is now up and running, providing shopping and social contact for older people in the York area.
