AgeLab research inspires an A I startup

Don Yansen '63 founded Kiwi Health in October 2024 after participating in an MIT AgeLab study, developing a voice-controlled wristband to help older adults use technology more easily. The device, which uses AI to interpret voice commands and monitor health metrics, aims to assist seniors in living independently.

AgeLab research inspires an A I startup Don Yansen ’63 When Don Yansen ’63 arrived at the MIT AgeLab for a study on technology in caregiving for older adults, he didn’t plan to launch another company. But when he heard participants talk about how hard modern devices can be to use, he decided to develop an alternative. Yansen, a serial entrepreneur who retired to care for his wife, earned an MIT degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in physics from Northeastern. “What I took from MIT was a good education and the feeling I could solve difficult problems,” he says. One such problem: Many older adults “can’t even use a modern cell phone,” he says, “and very few people can use something like an Apple Watch.” So Kiwi Health, which he founded in October 2024, sells a wristband controlled primarily by voice. Wearers can set reminders, make calls, send texts, and share health data, all without navigating screens. AI helps interpret these commands, accounting for the way voices may change with age. The device also measures health metrics and automatically alerts caregivers to falls. Yansen’s hope, he says, is that it can “help seniors live the best life that they can.” Read more at www.technologyreview.com/alumni-profiles. Keep Reading Most Popular A fundamental flaw leaves LLMs strikingly vulnerable to attack It makes it easy to trick them into doing things they shouldn’t, such as telling you how to sabotage an aircraft’s navigation system. Anthropic found a hidden space where Claude puzzles over concepts A new technique has let the company probe deeper than ever into the weird workings of an LLM. Sperm donors need limits, says a European fertility group Some donor-conceived people are finding hundreds of siblings. An international cap on donations could help prevent that. AI is more likely than humans to form biases when hiring AI doesn’t just learn stereotypes from its training. It can cook up new ones, too. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.