Bibo the Moving Cup for People Affected by Dementia: Design, Ethical Considerations, and First Observations in Use

We present the concept and technical realisation for a cup that moves and lights up to bring itself to the attention of a person to trigger him/her taking a sip as a response. We then reflect on different ethical dimensions connected to the application of the cup in the context of people affected by dementia and describe first tests performed in elderly care homes. The concept is aimed at people with dementia in home or resident care who still have the ability to act, but tend to mentally drift away and thus require external impulses and triggers to drink. We found out that a substantial part of the residents fulfil these conditions. The cup moves and lights up in regular intervals if it has not been picked up recently. Once it is emptied, it alerts a caregiver to refill. Moreover, the degree or level of movement and light can be configured, depending on the person’s needs and reactions. This paper describes the core idea and the technical aspects of building the prototype. Finally, primary tests were conducted with the aim to construct a protocol and structure for an extended quantitative study.