Presented at CES this week, a Belgian startup company, Nobi has showcased a smart lamp which monitors older people living alone.
Using AI, the lamp can detect if the person falls and automatically call for help. Across the globe, one in three people over 65 falls at least once a year, and 66% of them are seriously injured. Getting help quickly to an elderly person who has fallen is crucial as half of all elderly people who lay on the floor for more than an hour die within six months of the fall, according to research by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The Nobi smart lamp is designed to look like an ordinary hanging light so not to look out of place or different, but monitors older adults living on their own and provides communication between the resident and family members of caregivers.
Not only does it monitor the person, it’s first function is to prevent a fall from happening using smart lighting and risk prevention. If the resident does fall, the intelligent lamp notices immediately and asks the resident if everything is okay. It also calls family members in cases of emergency. If necessary, the emergency services are notified and Nobi is able to open the door for them.
In addition to fall prevention and fall detection, Nobi also ensures safety and quality of life by monitoring air quality and providing fire and burglary detection. It can even share a photo and call family members and friends.
The concept of Nobi was born in 2018 and is currently being tested and trained in residential care homes and service flats, ready to be made available to purchase by the end of this year.