Development of smart products for elders within the Industry 4.0 context: a conceptual framework

Beyond the technological and managerial changes Industry 4.0 implies, society must cope with other challenges that may as well affect the economic and industrial scenario. Particularly the aging of the population presents itself as a singular challenge, to be faced on many fronts. The increasing number of elders amongst the population pushes industry to rethink its workforce, rearrange its workplace, and redesign its needed qualifications based on continuous learning strategies. On the other hand, the aging process also influences new business opportunities for emerging markets to arise as a result of new demands for products and services in the health and innovation area. How to cope with such challenges and profitably explore new business models remain questions to be answered. Seeking to shed some light on such topics, this study combined four elements to propose a conceptual framework for smart product development for the Silver Market. These elements are Industry 4.0 requirements for smart product development, Industry 4.0-related enabler technologies, the specificities of the Silver Market, and the User-Centered Design philosophy. Based on the analysis of success cases of smart product development for the Silver Market from a former European program, the framework suggests that for each of three particular product lifecycle stages there are specific Industry 4.0 requirements, which could be addressed with the aid of specific enabler technologies. By addressing the requirements in each lifecycle stage aided by the correspondent technologies and a user-centered design philosophy, the final product arises at the end of the process as more adequate to the clients’ real needs and expectations. Moreover, a way to fully adapt the company’s product development process to the context of Industry 4.0 can be paved.