Simple Wearables has developed a wearable device that can save the elderly

Grandma's sudden death last year made a lasting impression on Angelo Umali, co-founder and director of Simple Wearables , a Hong Kong-based healthcare technology company. His goal was to launch a wearable device that sends an alarm signaling that an elderly person has fallen and even reports the severity of the fall.

Umali says that the case of a similar fall in his grandmother was not the first. “But this time we were there and saw everything ourselves. She fell, but rose quickly, assuring that everything was in order. However, after a few days, she began to complain of dizziness. We took her to the hospital, and doctors found a blood clot in the brain. On the same day, my grandmother fell into a coma and later died. I don’t want this to happen to my second grandmother. ”

Umali’s invention, Simple Wave, resembles a flat pebble that should be attached to the chest. Such an icon can send an alarm not only to family members, but also to the doctor on duty.



According to preliminary estimates, the device will cost $ 150-200, plus a monthly payment from a wireless access provider.

Angelo Umali was born in the Philippines, graduated from high school there, after which his family immigrated to the USA, where he entered one of the American universities and received a master's degree in electronic engineering.

 

Similarity to Health Apps

The functions of Simple Wave are similar to the work of health monitoring applications on smartphones that track the number of steps and movements. But this device is more sensitive and can detect cases of falling both due to loss of consciousness (for example, with diabetes or heart attack), and if a person stumbled or slipped. 

The device also measures the force of impact in the fall and automatically sends a message to the specified email addresses. The device is equipped with micro-SIM and a small microphone, therefore, if necessary, you can contact someone from your family.

Compared to other similar signaling devices in the USA, Simple Wave has a simple design and small size and does not require additional devices, which simplifies its use.

Fear of a repeated fall causes older people to limit their movement, which leads to loss of physical fitness and poor health, say the authors of the gerontological journal published at Oxford University.

 

Start-up capital

Due to its uniqueness and competitiveness, the invention attracted the attention of Nest, a Hong Kong venture company, and AIA Group Ltd., one of the largest insurance companies in Asia. In the past, the latter launched the AIA Accelerator project, which aimed to support innovative inventions in the field of healthcare and wearable technology, while Nest provides seed capital for startup companies in Asia.
 

 
Umali is currently negotiating with the Philippine Medical Center Medical City, which agreed to take part in testing the first hundred devices.

“Hospitals are offering more and more distance services. Data from Simple Wave will be transmitted to the cloud, after which access to it can be obtained using any computer or phone with an Internet connection. We are already developing an appropriate application, ”says Umali.

“We are proud that our compatriot is developing such useful and innovative medical devices with the support of our parent company,” said Jaime Jose Javier, Marketing Director of Philam Life, a subsidiary of AIA in the Philippines.

According to the Asian Development Bank, it is predicted that by 2050 the number of older people in this part of the world will reach almost 923 million people and in a few decades, Asia can become the “oldest” region in the world.

A similar trend is observed, in particular, in the Philippines. In 2000, there were only 4.6 million people over the age of 60, representing 6% of the total population. In 2010, their number increased to 6.5 million (6.9% of the population) and, according to the forecasts of the National Statistical Agency, by 2030 the proportion of elderly people will be 11.5% of the total population of the country.
 


 

Unpleasant fall

A simple fall can be relatively harmless, and can lead to serious consequences, injuries and even deaths. This opinion was expressed by the authors of a study published in the journal Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infectionand Critical Care in 2010.

According to the study, people over 70 are more prone to serious injuries as a result of falls compared to those who have not yet reached this age. In addition, they are 3 times more likely to die as a result of such cases.

Serious consequences of a fall that require immediate action include traumatic brain injury, which may result in loss of consciousness, amnesia, loss of motor function, coma, and even death.