A leading IoT solutions provider, the Essence Group, has unveiled a pioneering multi-sensor fall detector using Texas Instruments (TI) mm-Wave sensor. The fall detector's unique monitoring capability enables elderly people to lead independent, safer lives. The technology has been awarded "IoT Health & Wellness Safety Solution of the Year" as part of the IoT Breakthrough awards for 2020.
Leveraging decades of experience delivering innovative IoT platforms and sensors for the security and senior care sectors, Essence has developed a revolutionary device that improves the lives of seniors by using radar technology that can track the positioning of seniors, and, most crucially, provide immediate detection in case of falls. Using cutting edge TI mmWave technology, Essence's new Fall Detector is a battery-operated wireless radar-based device that improves independence by providing accurate fall verification – immediately alerting healthcare providers if a person falls over.
The radar forms part of the Essence SmartCare's Care@Home senior monitoring platform. The platform uses an integrated series of devices placed around the house with a variety of safety measures including an activity monitoring, physical and verbal panic buttons and various fall detection and prevention methods.
The announcement of the new radar system has significant positive repercussions for the elderly care market. A recent study found that 95% of elderly people want to live alone in later life. Of those elderly people living alone, a third, fall each year. Falls can have serious consequences, with 88% resulting in hospitalization. The tragic fact for many is that many falls go unnoticed for several hours: 60% of people spend 12 hours on the floor and 50% of falls are not reported to the doctors at all. The development of a new, cutting-edge radar fall detector enables these risks to be significantly reduced, empowering elderly people to live independently.
Essence developed a specialized application programming interface (API) that adapts the TI mmWave radar technology to create this unique application for the detection of senior falls in the home. The multi-sensor device has already garnered two respected industry awards for innovation in its pre-launch phase. The most recent, the IoT Breakthrough Award 2020 is part of the IoT Breakthrough Awards program that recognizes the innovators, leaders and visionaries from around the globe in a range of IoT categories, including Health and Wellness.
According to Dr. Haim Amir, CEO and Founder at Essence, the use of innovative radar technology significantly increases the accuracy of fall detection, giving peace of mind to caregivers while allowing residents to live freely. By collecting detailed information, Essence can tailor its response to reduce risk and provide round-the-clock care. Care@Home maintains the privacy of the resident while giving healthcare providers accurate alerts that include the resident's location in the house, allowing assistance to arrive quicker.
Essence officially launched the new technology at their booth at CES 2020. Click here to view more news from the event.
