You want to be there for your loved ones — including those who are up there in age — no matter what, so you can help prevent the worst from happening. For times when you can’t be there, however, Walabot Home can serve as your eyes. This smart home device that senses if a person has fallen in their home and then calls for help has recently received expanded capabilities to monitor the well-being of older people.
It’s best to think of Walabot Home as sort of a central nervous system that keeps track of a person as they move throughout the home. The small and slim device uses a sensor system that sends out low-power radio wave technology similar to Wi-Fi signals to determine a person’s location. Originally designed to spot falls in the bathroom, the service can now be implemented throughout the entire home.
This provides a number of advantages. For one, it allows Walabot to sense a person through walls and curtains that would otherwise obstruct a camera. Second, it can monitor areas that other systems can’t, including the bathroom, without requiring any sort of wearable device. Finally, it’s far less invasive than a camera-based system that requires a person to surrender their privacy in order to ensure their safety. Family members and caregivers can receive alerts of a fall through the Walabot Home mobile app for iOS and Android. The app also allows for two-way communications.
“There are a staggering number of adults who fall in their own homes every year. Most falls happen without anybody else knowing that the event occurred,” Raviv Melamed, co-founder and CEO of Walbot Home manufacturer Vayyar, said in a statement. “People want to feel comfortable in their homes without the burden of needing to wear a pendant or medical alert device, but they still want the security of knowing that they can get help if they need it. Walabot Home is so effective because people can set it up and then relax, feeling secure in the knowledge it’s there just in case.”
The situations that require a system like Walabot are unfortunately rather common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 29 million people older than the age of 65 fall every year in the United States. Those falls result in about 7 million injuries and can have long-lasting effects on the body. Walabot can’t prevent those falls, but it can speed up the response time to make sure emergency services are alerted immediately and arrive as quickly as possible.
Walabot Home currently retails for $150. There is a $5-per-month subscription fee, but you’ll get six months free with a new purchase. The device is available through Walabot’s website.
