The project proposes a solution to help people with mild dementia with memory decline, which is characterized by "forgetting important memories from the past" and "forgetting to remember things in everyday life". Through Atti, a voicebot that can be found in the app, dementia patients can recall meaningful memories from the past and build a regular life in the present and future.

Youtube : [ATTI] - GDSC Solution Challenge 2024
Youtube : [ATTI] - GDSC Solution Challenge 2024 | Top 100)

Here are the steps to download the Flutter app from https://github.com/H0ngJu/atti and run it on Android Studio:

1. Install Flutter and Android Studio.

2. Go to https://github.com/H0ngJu/atti  and download the app.

3. Open Android Studio and select File -> Open from the menu, then open the downloaded app folder.

4. Before Run our application, You need to get an API key for openai and an API key for openwheathermap

   1. Issued your Gemini API Key
   2. Issued your OpenWheatherMap API Key

5. Create an .env file under your project file and write it like this

   GEMINI_API_KEY="Your_GEMINI_API_KEY"
   OPEN_WEATHER_MAP_API_KEY="Your_OpenWheatherMap_API_KEY"
   

6. Once Android Studio loads the project, select Run -> Run from the top menu.

7. Select an emulator or connect a mobile device to run the app.
   

• Patient Account

  • ID : [email protected]
  • PW : patient

• Carer Account

  • ID : [email protected]
  • PW : carer123

1. Overview
2. Necessity - Interview & User Test
3. What's Different from Before
4. UN SDGs
5. Skill
6. Screens
7. Expected Effect
8. Closing

source : BBC NEWS Korea

South Korea is currently in the midst of a rapid aging process. By 2024, South Korea will be an aging society with more than 14% of the population aged 65 and older, and by 2025, the proportion of seniors will soon exceed 20.8%.

source : KOSIS 국가통계포털

As South Korea's population ages, the incidence of dementia is rising rapidly. As of 2022, the number of dementia patients in Korea is estimated to be around 930,000, according to the Korea Dementia Center.

South Korea is not alone in facing a growing number of dementia patients. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021, 55 million people are currently living with dementia due to brain-related diseases such as Alzheimer's or stroke. The WHO also projected that the number of people with dementia will continue to rise, reaching about 139 million by 2050.

source : WHO

We spent about two weeks volunteering and conducting user research to understand the challenges of people with dementia, interviewing at the local dementia center twice during this period.

• First Interview

  After the desk research, during the process of proposing a solution, the question kept coming up again and again: would seniors with mild dementia be able to actively use ATTI? Therefore, the first interview focused on understanding their communication skills, smartphone utilization, and functional needs of seniors with dementia.

  1. Communication of seniors with mild dementia

     We found that the communication skills of the elderly with mild dementia were good: they were able to understand normal speech at a normal pace, even when the voice was not loud enough.

  2. Only one of the interviewees did not own a smartphone, confirming the value of ATTI as an application solution. In addition, Korean 60-somethings will be more proficient with smartphones in the future than today, so it will be more useful.

  3. The interviewees were animated when they talked about pleasant memories of the past. They said that they often feel lonely because they have no one to talk to, and through the first interview, ATTI, a voice bot that reminisces about the past and evokes pleasant emotions, was born.
     

• Second Interview

  The second interview was conducted to help us refine the features of ATTI, the representative character and memory reminiscence voice bot, focusing on the question of how it could further strengthen the connection between patients and their caregivers.

  1. We interviewed staff at dementia care centers and found that they were positive about the idea of a solution that relies on voice rather than text. However, we also received feedback from patient caregivers, many of whom are in their 60s and older, that the UX flow should be simplified rather than complicated.
  2. Elderly people with dementia responded positively to the memory recall and verbalization services. However, they tended to have some difficulty with the fact that they were using a smartphone app. Therefore, we tried to implement a user-friendly, large, easy-to-identify UI in warm colors and a simplified UX.
     

• Third Interview

We used this feedback to evolve the project.

1. To further simplify the UX, we further reduced the flow of the bottom navigation bar. Previously, there were many page flows to select or move, which could be confusing for users. We simplified the page flow as much as possible.
2. We've changed the way notifications are displayed from push notifications to fill the entire screen. Push notifications were not suitable for people with mild dementia because they quickly disappear from the eye, but by adopting full-screen notifications, we made it easier and more convenient for users to check their schedule and routine.
3. We've added more period-reflective items to the Memory Gallery. Even if there are not many memory photos registered, we added photos that remind users of "those days" (dramas, music, items, etc.) to help them have conversations.
   

• Fourth Interview (User Test)

The fourth interview was conducted on May 1 at Pukyong National University.

The results of a 60-minute user study with three elderly people with mild dementia, aged 65 or older, are shown below. After experiencing the main features of the application, the testers were asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied). Users responded positively to the application's UI (font size, etc.) with an average score of 4, and to the smoothness of conversations with the A.I. Voicebot (speed of speech, satisfaction with the content of the conversation) with an average score of 4.33.

Additional feedback included the ease of registering schedules and tasks, the intuitiveness of the full-screen notifications, the net functionality of the memory aid, and the enjoyment of reminiscing about the past when there was no one to talk to after retirement. While using the application, users reported feeling nostalgic and energized as they talked to Artie about elements of their past lives and memories.

To address the challenges faced by people with dementia, ATTI proposes an app to maintain quality of life and promote well-being for people with dementia.

ATTI is inspired by the "Memory Note", a dementia prevention information provided by the Seoul Dementia Center. The positive effects of a photo reminiscence program for older adults with dementia are shown in the following study.

• According to 'The Effect of Digital Group Reminiscence Program for the Elderly with Mild Dementia' (2023), a digital reminiscence program for the elderly with mild dementia at a dementia day care center showed that the experimental group showed an increase in CIST (Cognitive Impairment Screening Test) results of 5 points out of 30 compared to the control group. In addition, according to the KGDS (Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale), both the experimental and control groups showed depressive symptoms with a pre-score of 8 or more, but the experimental group dropped to 6 points afterwards.
  

☑️ We changed our AI model from GPT to Gemini. By leveraging Gemini's multi-modal capabilities, we were able to create a voicebot that understands and interacts with the photos users submit.
☑️ We've also added the ability to analyze the key emotions users felt from their conversations with ATTI and check for danger words, which are sent to the parent's report every week.

☑️ Before we started the process of developing top100, we deeply analysed user feedback on past versions. One of the most important feedback we received from users was that the interface was too complicated. Based on this feedback, we improved the UI, focusing on simplifying the design to make it easier for users to understand and use our application.
☑️ We merged the Schedule and Day pages into one, and simplified the page flow as much as possible. And we minimized information on the home screen, which is the first thing patients see, to reduce user confusion.

☑️ Changed traditional push notifications to full-screen notifications. For elderly people with dementia, we created a more prominent notification screen that provides a stronger reminder of schedules and routines.

☑️ For seniors who may have difficulty using the app, we've enhanced the voice prompts on each page. On the home screen, ATTI will tell you the day's date and weather, and on the schedule/routine page, she'll tell you what routines and schedules are planned for the day.

☑️ For users who don't have a lot of registered memories or want to recall more conversations, we've added photos that remind them of "those days" (dramas, music, objects, etc.) to help spark conversations.

Firebase	Flutter	Gemini 1.5 Pro API

Patient	Menu(Common)	Care Giver

• On the patient home screen, you can hear a voice tell you the day's date and weather, and see information about upcoming routines and schedules.
• On the caregiver home screen, you can see how many of today's routines and schedules the patient has completed, and view weekly reports.
  

1	2	Change the order of photos

• On the Memories notes page, you can view the memories you've registered and filter them based on the keywords you've registered.
• You can also see a randomized selection of "those days" items that change every time you enter the page. (highlighted by the border and stars on the screen)
  

1	2	3	4	5	6

Memory Detail	Chat history	Conversation	Photo Modal

talking(I)	talking(ATTI)	Close 1	Close 2

1	2	3	4	5

1	2	3	4	5	6

1	2	3	4	5	6

• The notification page that changed to full-screen notifications.
• For routine notification, you'll receive a notification at the time you registered the routine.
• And for schedule notifications, you'll receive a reminder notification one hour before the scheduled time and a confirmation notification at the scheduled time.
• One hour after the scheduled time, you will receive a notification asking if you want to register the schedule as a memory. From this page, you can go directly to register as a memory to record today.

1	2	3	4

• The Caregiver Report allows you to check your patient's schedule and routine completion rate each week.
• You can also see the main emotions the patient has been feeling while talking to ATTI, and if they've said any risk words like "sick" or "depressed," you can see them here.
• It also shows which memories the patient has checked the most.
  

1	2	3	4	5	6

• Improve emotional stability and quality of life
  • Memory notes can help patients maintain emotional stability by recalling and recording the past, and improve their quality of life through scheduling.
  • Patients' positive emotions can help alleviate the depression caused by dementia and bring a sense of psychological well-being.
• Better care for patient
  • As Korea has become a nuclear family, many elderly households live apart from their children. Even if the caregivers are far away, they can manage the patient's schedule and keep track of the patient's condition.
  • This reduces stress and worry for the caregiver, and provides the patient with an environment where they can maintain their routine and control their life.
• Increased communication and peace of mind
  • Past reminiscences with A.I. allow patients to share a variety of stories, providing them with a new outlet for communication and preventing social isolation.
  • By sharing and communicating their stories, they can maintain their sense of self and strengthen their social relationships.

'The memories of the past are viewed.'

'Today's memories are recorded for the future.'

This app brings together the past, present, and future of people with dementia.

"Many people think that if you have dementia you have to live in a hopeless state, with no hope and no pleasure, but that's not the case." -Alzheimer's Society, UK

While dementia has been identified as one of the negative aspects of living longer, it is possible to live well as the disease progresses with the right support from those around you.

The 'ATTI' app connects people with dementia to their past, present, and future through positive memory recall, improving their psychological well-being and quality of life.

We want to realize a future where dementia, which can strike anyone at any time, is not something to be feared, but something to be prepared for.