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0 pointsChuckNorris894y ago0 comments

>You can easily do Fall Detection with a modern cell phone

Obviously we could do this since phones had accelerometers, so I'm not sure if you read the the product description, but these radar sensors allow you to do fall detection WITHOUT having to clip a phone or any other sensor onto people.

Way, way more convenient and better for privacy. I can't imagine grandma will take her phone with her in her pijamas when she goes to the bathroom in the middle of the night, just to have her fall status sensed.

These sensors are a real game changer.

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boffinAudio4y ago

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 ..

ChuckNorris89OP4y ago

>With the app: the user already has a cell phone, and doesn't need to buy anything else to get protected from falls

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?

I am sure my grandma does not do that and never will. Nor will she be ok with me belting a phone onto her at all times.

This idea is flawed by design from the get-go, which is why it never took off despite smartphones becoming ubiquitous.

boffinAudio4y ago

>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.

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0 pointsChuckNorris894y ago0 comments

>You can easily do Fall Detection with a modern cell phone

These sensors are a real game changer.

0 comments

boffinAudio4y ago

I disagree that this is more convenient/better for privacy.

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.

ChuckNorris89OP4y ago

>With the app: the user already has a cell phone, and doesn't need to buy anything else to get protected from falls

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?

I am sure my grandma does not do that and never will. Nor will she be ok with me belting a phone onto her at all times.

This idea is flawed by design from the get-go, which is why it never took off despite smartphones becoming ubiquitous.

boffinAudio4y ago

>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?

> 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.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse