Aged Care Technology: Panic Button Prototype Built into a Wristwatch

A prototype for a new automated panic button integrated into a wristwatch has been built by Sydney-based startup team Edisse under the University of Sydney’s Incubate program.

The automated panic button is able to sense fall detection in the elderly and eliminates the need for elderly people to manually press a button if they fall. The elimination of this manual process is particularly advantageous if an elderly person is rendered unconscious.

The prototype will be demonstrated at Sydney University’s Darlington Centre next Wednesday by the Co-founders of the watch who hope to start testing the product by the end of July this year.

Nicholas Tong, Co-founder and CEO of the product said the idea came from a desire to help the elderly market and improve the current panic buttons available.

“We wanted to help the elderly market but we came up with a crappy brain training app… (then) one of our engineers said ‘can’t we just do a panic button, but better?”

Mr Tong explained that the wristwatch is able to detect gravity and how fast a person falls. The wristwatch also has a built in SIM card and uses real-time tracking and a web-based reporting function to map frequency of falls for individuals.

The use of mobile technology means the person who uses the wristwatch will not be limited by range as is currently the case with a base station.

Mr Tong said local nursing homes had responded positively to the idea.

“We’ve approached the nursing homes and they’ve loved it. One nursing home manager asked ‘why don’t you have this product already?’ they want to buy it straight away” he said.

The cost of the device is still being determined but the team estimate that the device will cost $30 per month which is cheaper than what is currently available. Mr Tong also mentioned that the cost could fluctuate up or down as the product was still being developed and tested.

“For this year we’ve built the prototype and by the end of July we hope to get some people to test it. By the end of the year we hope to begin our alpha phase testing, so anyone can test it and help us out. We need to do lots of testing but by next year we hope to release the product” he said.

The prototype demonstration will be held at Sydney University’s Darlington Centre forum on Wednesday, February 27th.

More information about the product can be found on the company’s website and those who wish to contact Mr Tong can do so by emailing nick@edisse.com