Doro develop mobile to keep tabs on elderly relatives
- Users can create so-called ‘safe zones’ for older relatives using a mobile phone
- If the elderly person steps outside the area then the phone sends an alarm
- The idea is to help worried families monitor if a relative has wandered off
Sabah Meddings City Correspondent For The Daily Mail In Barcelona
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A mobile phone that tracks the movements of elderly relatives – and comes with extra-large and brighter buttons – has been unveiled.
A Swedish firm has developed a technology where children and grandchildren can create so-called ‘safe zones’ for older relatives using a mobile phone.
If the elderly person steps outside the area then the phone sends an alarm to family members.
The idea is to help worried families monitor if a relative has wandered off.
A mobile phone that tracks the movements of elderly relatives – and comes with extra-large and brighter buttons – has been unveiled
The phones sends out an emergency signal if relatives do not immediately respond to an automated ‘are you ok?’ message.
The technology has been developed by Doro, a company which makes mobile phones for the over 65s and sells them in the UK. They are aimed to help elderly and disabled people stay in their own home – and ease pressure on the NHS.
The phones also have a panic button on the back which will send out the location of the wearer to five people.
Children and grandchildren can also control their parent’s mobile phones remotely, doing things such as turning up the brightness, or checking the volume to spot whether they are having hearing problems.
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Along with the phone, Doro has developing technology to enable families to monitor how many times their relatives get up in the night.
It was unveiled this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, a trade show focused on the phone industry.
Chris Millington, managing director of Doro, said the new technology could not only provide peace of mind, but help relatives spot signs of conditions such as diabetes – without having to be there in person.
He added: ‘If they start getting up three or four times in a night then something has changed.
A Swedish firm has developed a technology where children and grandchildren can create so-called ‘safe zones’ for older relatives using a mobile phone. File photo
‘Our technology is all about helping people stay at home longer on their own. We can predict an event such as a stroke before it happens, which could stop someone needing to go into hospital.’
Along with technology to help the elderly, the Congress saw two companies unveil glasses that aimed at helping the blind to see.
Eyesynch is working with blind veterans in the UK.
Its glasses work by using sound to signal when the wearer approaches objects – easing the reliance on a cane or guide dog.
The glasses will also use facial recognition, telling the wearer if their friends are walking towards them. This works by recognising photos of contacts stored in a mobile phone.
Tech entrepreneur Antonio Quesada came up with the idea after seeing the difficulties facing a friend’s blind child.
Mr Quesada, 42, said: ‘I was looking around me and seeing technological advances across industries, yet blind people were still relying on a dog or cane. There hadn’t been any real change for years.
‘Our glasses can radically transform someone’s life. They can now spot objects six metres away, and get greater independence.’
The glasses, which include a camera, also have a panic button. When pressed it will take a picture and send a photograph to a relative’s phone, along with the wearer’s location.
Trials will begin in the UK at the end of the year with UK veteran’s charity Help for Heroes, said Mr Quesada. He hopes the glasses, which will cost in the region of £2,200, will be available to buy or on the NHS.
US telecoms giant ATT is also behind a pair of glasses to help blind people.
It is working with start-up called Aira – and gives blind and visually impaired people information about their surroundings.
The user taps on the glasses to connect to a call-centre agent who can be their ‘eyes’.
Using a video camera, the agents can ‘see’ the user’s perspective in near real-time – telling them where groceries are in supermarkets, or helping them buy a suit.
It is also aimed to help people find their way in busy areas.
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