WiFi Localization

                            Activlink©                                                                                

                             Accurate WiFi-Based Localization Of Dementia Patients For Caregiver Support

Project Description

Activlink is a patient localization solution optimized to assist monitoring by primary and secondary caregivers of dementia patients in an indoor building environment. The device is integrated into an insole worn in an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient’s shoe. To the patient, using the product is as simple as putting their shoes on in the morning. Throughout the day, indoor localization information from the patient’s insole will be collected and transmitted to a web app using Wifi and inertial sensor dead reckoning technologies. Battery charging occurs by simply removing the shoe at the end of the day and placing it on a wireless charging mat.

By providing a useful monitoring app and its alert functions, caregivers will have access to emergency notifications and on-demand real-time location visualization within a home or public building. Solutions are provided both while in relatively close proximity to the patient and remotely, in the situation of a family member or secondary caregivers wishing to monitor the patient’s location.

Societal Benefits

Activlink is a comfortable solution requiring little to no change in lifestyle for a person living with memory loss. However, the enhancements to safety, security, comfort and peace of mind for both patients and caregivers enabled by Activlink are significant.

Caregivers for early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s patients are able to receive convenient and important knowledge in delivering, monitoring, tracking, or coordinating their loved one's medical care. For later stage patients in care facilities without monitoring systems, family members are given extra insurance that their loved one does not wander from their safe environment. As a result, family members or caretakers are given the psychological peace of mind required to allow a loved one or patient to live safely and independently. 

Broader Impacts

In 2016, there are an estimated 5.4 million Americans with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. As the number of Americans age 65 and older continues to increase rapidly, this number is expected to rise significantly, requiring us to think differently about how we care for those around us. Caregivers of those with dementia face unique challenges, key among them, the likelihood that their loved one will wander. Activlink allows people living with memory loss to remain secure yet independent, living as they choose. ASTER Labs, in concert with its partners, will deliver a high-quality, affordable, and accessible solution that links caregivers and loved ones with dementia. Activlink will support the mission of organizations and care providers as they work to maintain the independence of those under their care.

Activlink will be available in multiple product options, including a base system that includes the connected insole, mobile app, and charging mat, as well as expanded options for larger care facilities that will include a fully integrated web app interface linking multiple connected patients to the facility’s medical staff.

National Institutes of Health Project Description     

Contact

info@asterlabs.com