During the National Day holiday, while crowds filled the scenic spots along the Xuhui waterfront, a group of special visitors gathered at the AI elderly experience store in the Large Model Innovation Ecosystem Community (Moshu Space), rather than heading to packed tourist attractions.
Elderly residents from the Hongxin Residential Area of Longhua Subdistrict in Xuhui District visited the experience center together, where they explored a range of age-friendly AI devices and got a hands-on feel for their own digital lives.
"I asked the Leqi glasses where a parking lot was located, and it immediately gave a very detailed answer with clear text on the screen. Whether going out or in daily life, it is a great help to us," said one visitor. In the "Roaming the World" exhibition area, many seniors gathered around the AI smart glasses. Auntie Cui put on the device and asked about a parking lot location on the spot. The device responded quickly, with text information displayed simultaneously on the screen.
Many elderly people struggle with weak legs and difficulty getting around, a real challenge for daily mobility. At the exoskeleton assistance equipment station, 84-year-old Auntie Cao put on the device and tried it out, gradually finding the right rhythm. "Many elderly people cannot lift their legs when walking and shuffle along. This equipment can help lift the legs. At first I was not used to it, but now walking feels so much easier," Auntie Cao said as she slowly moved forward.
Moving to the AI Life Exploration Pod, the atmosphere shifted from travel topics to everyday home life. Auntie Li took off her sunglasses as warm air from an eye massager gently spread around her eyes and temples, relieving the usual soreness and fatigue. A smart ring weighing less than 3 grams can monitor blood oxygen and sleep status in real time, and the data can be synced to children's mobile phones. Various home safety warning devices were neatly displayed, offering protection plans for the home safety risks faced by elderly people living alone.
The elderly visitors scattered in small groups across the display cabinets. Some reached out to feel the device casings, some took out their phones to photograph exhibits that interested them, and they chatted with each other about which products might be more suitable for use at home. Uncle Xu moved through the various exhibition areas, from smart wearables to mobility assistance equipment. High technology that once seemed out of reach was now right in front of him, within easy reach. In his view, knowledge gained from books is ultimately shallow. Only by personally trying things out can elderly people distinguish which technology products truly fit their later years.
"There are hundreds of products that everyone can experience one-on-one offline, and this is not just a display hall," a staff member told reporters during the visit. As Shanghai's large model innovation ecosystem community, Moshu Space also serves as a testing ground for tech startups. The seniors who come here are not merely "visitors" but genuine "silver-haired test officers." Casual complaints, real user experiences, and simple suggestions for improvement during the experience are collected and fed back to the research and development team, in turn driving product refinement and optimization. The exhibits are updated monthly, and elderly residents are invited to come often to experience the continuously evolving age-friendly technology.
"On ordinary days, the community relies on the Shanghai Community Cloud platform for refined grid-based services, equipping key elderly groups with smart devices such as fall monitoring, one-touch calling, and smoke alarms, safeguarding home safety around the clock. This visit is also a vivid extension of the residential area's exploration of smart elderly care," said a relevant person in charge from Longhua Subdistrict. "Located in an artificial intelligence highland, elderly residents in our jurisdiction have the opportunity to get close to cutting-edge technology. We look forward to more warm-hearted AI technology reaching ordinary seniors and jointly building a warm, high-quality, and intelligent new model of community elderly care."