Nobi, a Belgian start- up, presented its first smart lamp at CES 2021. The intelligent lamp monitors older people who live alone so that they can live independently for longer without a care in the world. You can hang Nobi in a private home or a service flat. With the help of artificial intelligence, the lamp detects when you fall and ensures that help is provided. Nobi offers a solution to a global problem: falls by older people. One in three people over 65 fall at least once a year, and 66% of them are injured seriously1. Offering help as quickly as possible is crucial. After all, falls are the most important cause of fatal injuries, and 50% of the elderly who lay on the floor for longer than one hour die within six months of the fall(2).
Nobi monitors older people
Roeland Pelgrims, co-founder of Nobi said, “Nobi’s mission is to help the elderly live at home on their own as long as possible without a care in the world. That’s the wish of many people over 65. That’s why we designed Nobi as a lamp that feels familiar in every interior. Nobi monitors older adults and provides communication between the resident and family members or caregivers. This really provides peace of mind.”
First and foremost, Nobi focuses on fall prevention with smart lighting and risk prevention. If a resident does fall, the intelligent lamp notices this immediately, asks if everything is okay and calls family members in cases of emergency. If necessary, the emergency services are notified, and Nobi opens the door for them. In addition to fall prevention and fall detection, Nobi also ensures safety and quality of life by monitoring air quality and providing fire and burglary detection. It can even share a photo and call family members and friends.
Nobi’s Journey
The Nobi team started working on the concept in 2018, and the finished product will be available for purchase by the end of 2021. The lamp is currently being tested and trained in residential care centres and service flats. Nobi stands out due to its simple and timeless design. It recently won two Henry van de Velde design awards in the categories “Business Innovation” and “Consumer”.
Figures about falls by people over 65
– One in three people over 65 fall at least once a year and the number of falls increases as they get older. (1)
– 50% of the elderly who end up laying on the floor for longer than one hour die within six months of the fall. (2)
– In the US every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall. (3)
– 95% of the older people who live independently possess an alarm button but it is not used in 80% of their falls (not in the vicinity, in panic and didn’t have the reflex to use it). (4)
1 WHO https://www.who.int/ageing/projects/falls_prevention_older_age/en/ 2 Research AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians) Falls in the Elderly 3 https://www.who.int/ageing/projects/falls_prevention_older_age/en/ 4Research AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians) Falls in the Elderly
5 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 6 https://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a2227
– The WHO7 estimates that the medical costs associated with falls by people over 65 will be $240 billion per year worldwide by 2040.
About the Nobi Lamp
- 24/7 monitoring: Nobi works without batteries and is alert at any time of the day.
- Discreet: unobtrusively present in the form of a lamp.
- No adjustments needed indoors: easy installation and no need for new cables. The ceiling light is simply replaced by Nobi or Nobita (the smaller version that’s also suitable for humid rooms like the bathroom).
- Privacy: Nobi smart lamps are equipped with a powerful processor that allows the images to be analyzed in the lamp without being sent to the cloud. The lamps only communicate events such as falls, burglaries and smoke detection. The option to share images in case of emergency is determined by the resident. He/she also decides who has access to their data and alerts.
- In addition to fall detection, the Nobi smart lamps can also prevent falls, detect fire, monitor the air quality, detect burglary and recognize patterns.
- Available for consumers by the end of 2021
- Price: you can equip an average apartment with Nobi from $2490 * if you purchase smart lamps for every room. A monthly care subscription of $19* is also required. If you prefer to rent, this will cost about $119 per month* lamps and the care subscription are included. *taxes not included.
About Nobi
Nobi is a start-up that was established in Antwerp, Belgium in 2018. Nobi wants to enable as many older adults as possible to live independently with a high quality of life for as long as possible without a care in the world. The advantages of the Nobi smart lamps are undeniable in residential care centers and service flats too. Nobi lamps efficiently support care personnel and allow them to fully concentrate on their core mission: helping the elderly to live a happy and comfortable life. Nobi won two Henry van de Velde awards in 2021 in the categories Business Innovation and Consumer. Nobi consists of a team of eight professionals in Belgium and an international advisory body with specialists in geriatric care, medicine and smart home technology.
You’ll find more information on https://nobi.life/en/
