The new Essex-based retirement community, Burnham Waters, is embracing the capability of new AI-powered age-tech to bring peace of mind to residents.
Properties at the complex, currently in development, will all be pre-wired to take the revolutionary AI-powered lamp, developed by European tech company, Nobi, which uses artificial intelligence to detect, prevent and even predict falls with older people. A new generation of the smart lamp also has the capability to monitor vital signs such as breathing and coughing 24/7.
Residents will have the option for each room of their home to be fitted with a Nobi lamp. Once fitted, should a resident fall, the intelligent lamp will detect this immediately and speak to the resident, asking if they are ok. In the event of no response or a call for help, the intelligent lamp is pre-programmed to alert their carers – in this case, Burnham Waters’ care staff. The smart lamp will also be able to open the resident’s door in the case of an emergency.
Furthermore, at the resident’s discretion, Nobi’s smart lamps have the ability to send an image showing where in the room the fall has occurred. These images give care staff important information not only to decide what assistance is needed immediately after a fall, but also when it comes to preventing future falls. This image can be converted to an abstract figure to ensure privacy.
Around a third of those in the UK aged 65 and over, and around half of all people aged 80 and over, fall at least once a year. 50% of the elderly who lay on the floor for longer than one hour die within six months of the fall. Offering help as quickly as possible is crucial and can save lives. Whilst Nobi is optional for each resident, installation can be carried out easily and unobtrusively long after a property has been occupied.
The powerful processor inside the lamp allows Nobi to constantly analyse images and detect the position of a body. Based on this, Nobi immediately knows when it’s dealing with a fall. This image processing happens within the lamp itself, without the need for analysis elsewhere. Thereby guaranteeing privacy.
Aside from identifying accidents, Nobi also aims to help prevent falls. When a resident sits upright in bed at night, for example, the smart lamp will shine soft light upwards to gently illuminate the room. Then, should the resident stand up to go to the bathroom, it will illuminate the entire room.
Speaking about the need for this age-tech, Nobi’s CEO and Co-Founder, Roeland Pelgrims, said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen at the tech partner at Burnham Waters’. This prestigious development will help to set a new benchmark in retirement living.
“The peace of mind delivered by Nobi for both residents and their families is really important, as is, of course, the life-saving impact of our technology.”
Meanwhile, Burnham Waters’ Project Manager, Ian Holloway, echoes this sentiment with the following statement:
“Our aim is for all residents to be able to live their lives without the need for stress or worry about what the future might bring. Our care providers at Burnham Waters are there to give everyone the security and peace of mind they’re looking for.”
The Nobi smart lamp has been carefully designed to feel familiar in every interior. It is unobtrusive, with no wearable accessories or charging required; only a Wi-Fi connection. This state-of-the-art technology will be supported by Burnham Waters’ fibre network, which covers the entire development and provides each resident with unlimited data.
Healthcare systems in the UK, like many other places, are currently suffering from an acute shortage of healthcare personnel. Speaking on this, Holloway goes on to say:
“Through the implementation of Nobi, Burnham Waters is able to support our care providers by allowing them to focus on their core tasks, confident in the knowledge that the smart lamp is watching over residents, and that they will be alerted in the event of a fall.”
The lamp also takes repetitive administrative tasks off carers’ hands, freeing up time for essential duties to be carried out efficiently. Nobi can, for example, be integrated with devices like smart scales and blood pressure monitors to automatically log health measurements and other important data. Eventually it will help to predict when things might go wrong so that preventative action can be taken.
Nobi was launched in the UK and Ireland in November 2022 and received its international launch at CES in Las Vegas this January.
UK distribution is being handled by Porters Care. For more information, please contact David Knowles on 07393 537620 or visit https://porterscare.co.uk/.