The Barcelona-based software and highly complex application development company Unimedia Technology, together with the British firm Milbotix, has developed smart socks that predict episodes of agitation or aggression in people with dementia and Alzheimer’s. They are called SmartSocks and they work through a series of sensors implanted in the fabric that are capable of measuring the heart rate, sweat, temperature and movement of the person wearing them.
The system provides real-time information on all these parameters through an application on the caregiver’s mobile phone, who can know the person’s status at all times and receives alerts if they begin to become stressed or agitated, so that they can anticipate when is starting an episode of anxiety and prevent the patient from harming themselves or others.
Unimedia and Milbotix thus try to respond to a common problem of those who care for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s who have communication problems, get stressed or angry when they cannot express their needs, and in some cases become aggressive and hurt themselves. themselves, their families and their caregivers or other people with whom they live.
During these types of episodes, patients become restless and have the need to move or walk from one place to another, an activity that is captured by sensors and transmitted via wireless connectivity to whoever is in charge of that person’s care so that they can advance to those situations.
The developers explain that they chose to materialize their monitoring device in socks instead of a bracelet or a smart watch because it is an item that is commonly used and with which the patient is familiar, so there is less probability of take them off or refuse to wear them.
The SmartSocks prototype has been tested since last July both in universities and in nursing homes, in people with dementia and with the participation of health professionals. And, according to Unimedia Technology sources, in March its usefulness in people with autism and learning problems will be evaluated. The company’s objective is to start marketing it first in the United Kingdom and to reach the Spanish market in 2025.
The promoters of SmartSocks estimate that their product can be very useful in improving the well-being of the hundreds of thousands of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s or other dementias and have communication difficulties or episodes of anxiety. According to data from the Spanish Society of Neurology, in Spain alone there are almost 800,000 people who suffer from Alzheimer’s and it is estimated that in 2050 there will be one million cases of dementia.
“We are very satisfied to have provided the technological knowledge and assistance so that Milbotix can develop this pioneering product that, without a doubt, will improve the lives of many people and promote their independence, allowing them to live at home for longer,” commented Jaume Vidal, CEO of Unimedia Technology, when presenting SmartSocks.
And he pointed out that this innovative technological device has been developed thanks to artificial intelligence and with financing of more than 600,000 euros from investors such as the British Design Fund and Two Magnolias Venture Capital, among others.
