A new way to track Alzheimer's patients--or your kids
The plain black wristband EmSeeQ, released this week, uses U-TDOA location technology to more quickly track "wanderers."
(Credit: EmFinders)We all know our cell phones can give away our locations whether or not we want them to. But what if you want to track someone who's too forgetful--or perhaps ornery--to carry one around?
EmFinders to the rescue. This week the Frisco, Texas-based tech start-up unveiled EmSeeQ, which is designed to look and be worn like a watch (though strangely does not tell time--but hey, it's better than a collar) and uses cellular network-based U-TDOA technology to provide tracking information to law enforcement and E-911 systems.
The company says the device, which costs $185 plus a $25 monthly service charge, "can be worn by anyone with the propensity to wander, including those with Alzheimer's, autism, and other cognitive and developmental disabilities." Which to any discerning parent translates to teenagers, and while we're at it, pets, all of whom have propensities to wander.
Whether kids or pets would have any success getting away with wearing this beguilingly plain black "I am either Batman or a special agent" wristband that doesn't tell time remains to be seen.
Of course law enforcement in Frisco, a fast-growing suburb of Dallas, is all for it, and understandably so. "Locating wandering individuals in a particular area can often be like searching for a needle in a haystack," says Frisco Police Chief Todd Renshaw. "If the wanderer has driven somewhere, that becomes multiple haystacks. It's encouraging to know that we can begin receiving support from EmFinders immediately without any extra effort on our part. I would advise all law enforcement agencies to become familiar with this service."
U-TDOA (Uplink Time Difference of Arrival) is network-based location technology already used by 911 personnel across the country to determine the location of cell phone subscribers placing emergency calls. EmFinders says that, unlike GPS and other location technologies, EmSeeQ is able to locate those behind walls, roofs, buildings, etc. (aka anyone indoors), regardless of how far they have strayed from home.
"Time, distance, and physical barriers are consistently daunting variables in wandering scenarios," says Jim Nalley, CEO and co-founder of EmFinders, which does have its competition. "As the population of at-risk individuals continues to grow, so does the need for support to caregivers and law enforcement."
Alzheimer's disease is newly diagnosed almost every minute, according to the Alzheimer's Association, with some 5.3 million Americans living with the disease today, while autism affects some 1.5 million Americans and grows at least 10 percent annually. About 70 percent of people with dementia are likely to wander, according to the association, and 92 percent of children with autism are prone to wandering, according to an online survey conducted by the National Autism Association.
EmFinders did not provide figures on how many spouses and parents have expressed interest in strapping these wristbands to those who wander but are not lost.
Elizabeth Armstrong Moore is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Ore. She has contributed to Wired magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, and public radio. Her semi-obscure hobbies include unicycling, slacklining, hula-hooping, scuba diving, billiards, Sudoku, Magic the Gathering, and classical piano. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. 
Also, how easy is it for the person to take off? If an elderly person is that "ornery", they might just take it off. The same goes for little kids, they are smarter than most people give them credit.
Definitely need to put a simple watch on the face.
Also, not having a watch on the device (with some kind of battery indicator) seems like an odd design decision.
This device was obviously designed by people who have no intention of ever wearing it themselves. Just put a bit more work into this and it could be brilliant.
To answer the question from loose_screw, the device has an indicator light that blinks red when the battery is getting low.
This is not even a very good idea, more like a solution looking for a problem. This thing falls off. This thing gets taken off. This thing breaks. This thing doesn't work in areas without adequate coverage. This thing's battery runs down. This thing doesn't work inside some buildings, tunnels, et cetera.
I train golden retrievers to track air and ground scents. My dog's nose works in all situations, in all weather, all the time. It works in buildings. It works in tunnels. It even works, to a limited degree, detecting air scent over water. It can't be turned off. It doesn't 'break'. It has no battery to wear down. And we never stop looking until we find what we are looking for...
Who would you rather have looking for your grandmother with Alzheimer's? A cheap gizmo that might work or a dog that will work? Even with this device, it would negligent not to call out search dogs, just in case the device fails... So, we've just added another layer of techno-crap...
-- This is for people with "cognitive disabilities" - Alzheimer's, autism, Downe Syndrome, etc.
-- Two-handed clasp version means they can?t remove it.
-- Not a constant "tracking device." Emergency situations. Caregiver calls 9-1-1 to report a missing person. Caregiver calls EmFinders with the case number. EmFinders remotely turns on the device. Only now is it tracking. 9-1-1 can see exactly where the person is regardless of where they are (inside buildings, tunnels, etc., something GPS cannot do).
-- Battery lasts a week.
-- $20 a month: Ask the mother of an autistic child or the husband/wife of someone with Alzheimer?s if it?s worth it. Not even a question.
-- A dog will not help find a person with Alzheimer's who takes a bus to the town where he "thinks" he lives....but really lived there 30 years ago. Common occurance. In any instance, mere minutes can mean the difference between life and death?weather, busy roads, lakes/ponds, etc. all pose hazards. This thing tells you where they are, no questions. No searching.
-- ?More like a solution looking for a problem? ? have you read the news lately? Go ahead and type, Missing Autistic or Missing Alzheimer?s in a Google news search. This happens every day.
The net of all of this seems to be that there clearly is a tremendous problem out there of lost children and the elderly, and technology has come down in size to assist in solving the problem.
The best cellular location technology has a margin of error of 1,000 meters. Think about that. 1,000 meters IN ANY DIRECTION. That's almost the equivalent of 4 football fields IN ANY DIRECTION. Sure that's great if you live in the a state like Omaha where everything is so flat you can see for miles (no offense to anyone from Omaha), but what if you are in a major metropolitan city. Do you realize how many blocks are encompassed in a 2,000 meter diameter circle in NY or LA?
Additionally, anyone that follows missing child stories knows the saying a child can disappear at 1 mile per minute. That's 60 miles per hour. By the time this thing is activated through the proper channels, your loved one can be long gone. Go ask Marc Klaas what one of the biggest problems is today with the current Amber Alert system - it's the time to actually activate an Amber Alert. By then, the child can be long gone, or much much worse.
If you are looking to monitor a loved one, i highly suggest a device that allows YOU to monitor it in real time and YOU to activate it when needed. Do NOT rely on someone else. As a previous poster stated above me, check out a GPS based device like the www.sentryGPSid.com, they seem to be one of the most reasonably priced devices on the market currently.
- by 213byoung October 22, 2009 7:32 PM PDT
- it seems we have some non 911 location experts commenting on something they apparently know nothing about. Cellular technology is much more accurate than GPS. It works within max 300 meters (according to the FCC) Tests have proven it works within in 10-15 feet. GPS on the othe hand, is not reliable indoors, in cities with tall buildings or in forested areas. So, if i had to choose a solution to save my loved one... cellular location all the way. In a a situation where there is a critical missing person let the trained police and sheriff be in charge. Ask a 911 operator what they would trust.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(13 Comments)