I disagree that this is more convenient/better for privacy.
With the app: the user already has a cell phone, and doesn't need to buy anything else to get protected from falls. No proprietary hardware, just an app to install and he's safe. Plus, he'll always have his phone on him and can call/be called whenever deemed necessary by his caregivers.
There are no privacy implications whatsoever, because the app only reports to the people it is configured to report to - by SMS and Twitter, as well as local audio alerts.
BTW, I built this app for a company that had already developed hardware-based fall detectors, over ten years ago - this is not by any means a new market - which functioned perfectly every time (not needing mmWave) .. and which they determined were not popular because it required extra proprietary/special hardware, which most elderly in this market are suspicious of .. but given the choice to install a Fall Detector on their existing cell phone, which they carry around anyway as a safety net, was a no brainer ..
>Do you always take your phone with you when you go to the bathroom half asleep in the middle of the night with no pockets in your pijamas?
You do if your life depends on it. Also, if your family has put a cell phone on your bathrobe specifically for the purpose - even doing this is cheaper than buying special hardware just because it has mmWave.
> Nor will she be ok with me belting a phone onto her at all times.
But belting proprietary, un-auditable electronics to her or installing it in her private space is okay, right ..
The Fall Detector/home medical metrics industry is huge, and plenty of people are using cell-phone based Fall Detectors to protect their family. This doesn't require mmWave, one bit.
You clearly don't know how stubborn (old) people can be even when it comes to their own safety. People should also wear bike helmets in my country, as their lives depends on it, yet few actually do. Moving the sensor off the people and onto the room removes this issue.
> Also, if your family has put a cell phone on your bathrobe specifically for the purpose
Nobody in my family wears bathrobes and I'm pretty sure almost nobody in my country does (BTW, is this a US thing?)
What if you forget to take your phone with you when you get out of bed for whatever reason? Or what if you fall out of bed before getting your smartphone? This is a flawed solution from the start.
>But belting proprietary electronics to her is okay, right ..
You clearly did not read the product description. You don't belt this sensor to the person you want to monitor but instead you install it in the room you're monitoring and the radar sensor detects when anyone in the room is falling down. That's the game changer right there.
Please read the product description and maybe you'll reconsider your stance.
>Nobody in my family wears bathrobes and I'm pretty sure nobody in my country does (is this an american thing?)
Kind of an odd supposition, but okay .. I'm guessing you don't have much experience with the elderly and frail in care facilities, where it is pretty much policy to be robed when you get out of bed.
All of the elderly in my family (Europeans) use a robe when needed. Its not as 'rare' as you might think.
But fair enough, your point is that this mmWave-based fall detector doesn't need to be attached to the user. This means the end user is only going to be protected for as long as they are in the 'fall detection zone jail', alas. This is more of a prison than you might think - especially for elderly/care-needing individuals for whom mobility (outside, in a garden) is essential to their care and recovery .. wearing a device gives the individual far, far greater freedom over that of a 'zoned safety area' provided by a fixed-location installation ..
And for this reason, I simply don't agree that this mmWave thing is an improvement. It certainly is more convenient to care-givers, but its fixed-place requirement is a net loss for elderly/care.
>I'm guessing you don't have much experience with the elderly and frail in care facilities, where it is pretty much policy to be robed when you get out of bed.
Except my grandma is at her apartment and that's where I wish to monitor her but in a private and dignified way, not like cattle with an tracking bracelet, and she wears no bathrobe in her apartment either (Eastern Europe things).
>But fair enough, your point is that this mmWave-based fall detector doesn't need to be attached to the user.
It is not my point, it's literally in the article/product description, which you did not read, and is the whole selling point of this widget. Just stick it to the ceiling and it detects anyone falling in that room. Simple. No need for invasive tracking solutions attached to people at all times.
> This is more of a prison than you might think
This sensor does not stop you from going outside where grandma can take a phone in her purse and is also safe as there are always people around to call for help if anything would happen vs in her apartment where she is always alone.
Nothing wrong with "please take this wearable sensor (which might be a phone) with you if you go outdoors" and still making the indoors safe for occasions where the person at risk of falling fails to prepare like for a minor expedition. It's not either/or at all.
With the app: the user already has a cell phone, and doesn't need to buy anything else to get protected from falls. No proprietary hardware, just an app to install and he's safe. Plus, he'll always have his phone on him and can call/be called whenever deemed necessary by his caregivers.
There are no privacy implications whatsoever, because the app only reports to the people it is configured to report to - by SMS and Twitter, as well as local audio alerts.
BTW, I built this app for a company that had already developed hardware-based fall detectors, over ten years ago - this is not by any means a new market - which functioned perfectly every time (not needing mmWave) .. and which they determined were not popular because it required extra proprietary/special hardware, which most elderly in this market are suspicious of .. but given the choice to install a Fall Detector on their existing cell phone, which they carry around anyway as a safety net, was a no brainer ..