A Better Way to Age in Place

The Augmented Reality Home Assessment Tool takes users through a step-by-step process that measures relevant parts of a living space and offers suggestions to make it more accessible. Bryce Richter

UW researchers are using augmented reality to make the homes of older adults safer. The Augmented Reality Home Assessment Tool, currently in prototype form, takes users through a step-by-step process that measures relevant parts of a living space and offers suggestions to make it more accessible.

A user is prompted to choose from 14 common functional limitations — visual impairment, poor balance, wheelchair use, and so on — and select the areas of the home to evaluate. Follow-up questions and prompts for measurements are tailored to the user’s answers.

The tool then uses a LiDAR scanner — technology built into every iPhone and iPad Pro since 2020 — to measure elements in the home. By superimposing visuals in the space as seen through the device’s camera, it will instantly let users know if something is an accessibility barrier.

At the end of the assessment, the tool generates a detailed report, including suggested design solutions.

Using the tool is faster and more accurate than taking manual measurements, according to the team’s research. It’s also much easier to use, and people involved in the testing felt much more confident about their measurements.

The project team was led by professors Jung-hye Shin and Kevin Ponto ’04 of the School of Human Ecology and Beth Fields, an associate professor in the kinesiology department. They hope the tool will be available through the Apple app store.

“The fact that you can use your phone and do all of those measurements digitally versus manually will be such a time saver and a cost saver for health care agencies and systems, because you’re going to be able to be more efficient,” Fields says.

Published in the Fall 2025 issue