Fall detection systems were a big draw at CES 2023. CDC fall statistics reveal the significant medical dangers, growing frequency, and massive annual medical costs attributed to older people falling. According to a 2020 study on advances in fall detection systems, (FDS), elderly people in nursing homes fall more often than those who live at home. Nursing home residents who fall also have a higher likelihood (40%) of additional falls. Our CES 2023 coverage includes KamiCare by Kami Vision’s Fall Detect FDS for older people who live at home. We also wrote about AltumView’s Sentinaire home fall detection system. Kepler Vision Technology attended CES 2023 to showcase its AI-based Kepler Night Nurse fall detection and prevention system for nursing home installations.
Kepler connects a 360-degree optical sensor in each resident room and common area with the Edge Box: a dedicated Kepler Night Nurse server on-site at the nursing home. Kepler Night Nurse AI software runs on the Edge Box. The system captures images every five seconds from each connected patient room and analyzes images of all patient movements. If a patient falls, the system sends an alarm to a caregiver’s smartphone with images of the fall. According to Kepler, five out six times a caregiver gets to the patient’s room within five minutes of the fall with Kepler Night Nurse.
Kepler Night Nurse helps prevent falls by analyzing images to detect movement or lack of movement that associates with falling. Examples include a patient sitting on the edge of a bed, remaining in a bathroom for an unusually long time, or even leaving the room. According to Kepler, the Night Nurse software reduces false alarms by 99% and saves caregivers up to 3 hours of working time per day when they don’t have to make unnecessary trips to patient rooms.
The Kepler Night Nurse FDS protects patient privacy in two ways. The software modifies captured and transmitted images by blurring the patient’s face. The system deletes all images from the server after analysis.
Kepler Vision Technologies is a startup based in the Netherlands. The company already installed the Night Nurse FDS in 5,000 rooms. Kepler plans to launch a smart lightbulb with two-way audio for aging-in-place applications later this year. The lightbulb uses mobile data connections to alert family or caregivers when necessary.
