Edinburgh Napier University

An Edinburgh Napier product design student is shining a light on elderly social isolation and loneliness with the development of new technology that connects people remotely during mealtimes.

Student Matthew Estevens is currently developing plans for Twindle, a table light with a built-in speaker which brings two elderly people together for a chat.

The light aims to link-up individuals via a call within a pre-determined distance range and has been designed specifically for use by older people who may look upon mealtimes with a sense of dread.

The lamp sits on a table, or within a kitchen and, if fully developed, would give elderly users the ability to connect remotely with someone else during mealtimes, alongside changing the brightness of the light and volume of the device.

A 3D-printed prototype lamp has gone on display this week as part of Edinburgh Napier’s 2023 Degree Show, the University’s annual celebration of talent from its School of Arts and Creative Industries.

If fully developed, the final lamp would be made from anodised aluminium, and would operate simply, requiring only battery power and a Wi-Fi connection for it to light up and connect to another user.

For student Matthew, it’s already been quite a journey to get to this stage of the device’s development.

He said: “My research for my final year project initially started really broadly, looking at food waste in both households and in the industry. Some stats on the elderly really jumped out at me which highlighted the challenges that many older people have in the kitchen. I spoke to my Gran and some of her friends and it became apparent that it wasn’t food waste that was the main issue – it was loneliness, so the idea for Twindle was born.

“The purpose of Twindle is multi-functional. It can act as a light that has different temperatures that can be used to make food look more appealing to an elderly person with a small appetite. And it will also be able to connect two people remotely so that they can have company and companionship during mealtimes. It’s been designed with the elderly in mind. I wanted to make it tactile and easy to use. Simplicity is key.

“As a designer, this project has been a massive challenge. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before. Getting to this stage with Twindle has seen me carry out so much user-testing. It really has been built on feedback from people who could potentially use something like this. My house is full of cardboard models but I’m happy with the final design.

“Although the prototype doesn’t have the full technology behind it yet, I’m not closed off to the idea of continuing with its development once my time at Edinburgh Napier comes to an end. I’ve enjoyed overcoming the challenges that this project has brought and it will no doubt stand me in good stead for my future as a designer.”

Matthew’s project, along with many others, is currently on display at Edinburgh Napier’s 2023 Degree Show as its Merchiston campus. The show, which is an annual celebration of talent from its School of Arts and Creative Industries, runs from 26 May to 1 June.