Longitude Prize on Dementia

AUTONOMOUS is a digital solution designed to support people living with dementia in completing meaningful daily activities safely and autonomously. It runs on a smartwatch and smartphone, complemented with ambient sensors. AUTONOMOUS integrates AI into existing technologies and uses tailored and ad hoc cues to help people perform daily tasks by providing information on steps that must be taken or skipped to ensure the correct, enjoyable, and safe completion of the tasks. Initially, AUTONOMOUS acts as a silent companion, respecting users’ agency while learning from their behaviour and surroundings. As dementia progresses, it becomes more proactive, offering real-time support and instructions customised to the preferences and needs of the individual in a non-stigmatizing manner. The system also aims to prevent emergencies, reduce hospitalisations, and minimise the need for costly medical interventions.

CrossSense comprises lightweight smart glasses and an augmented reality app, which help people living with dementia remember loved ones, objects, and daily activities. In collaboration with the user, the smart glasses assign digital representations to elements in the physical environment, superimposing words and voice reminders to connect objects to their functions, and other important information. This enables individuals living with dementia to maintain context and carry out daily tasks with greater ease. It also overlays colours, shapes and sounds as multisensory memory cues, because ‘dual coded’ objects (e.g. a mother’s name written in her favourite colour blue) reinforce memories. Psychological science states that by establishing these multisensory connections, CrossSense may slow down memory decline, and even improve broader cognition.

Animorph, a London-based co-operative, is composed of an interdisciplinary team creating next-generation software that enhances human potential. They specialise in developing evidence-based, personalised medical devices and mental health apps. Research collaborator Professor Simner draws from her personal experience caring for her father, who has dementia. The daily creative strategies they employ to help him remain focused are invaluable in shaping the team’s approach.

Theora 360 is a remote monitoring system that uses sensors to provide insight into behaviour around falls when caregivers are not present, ensuring safety and independence. Older adults with cognitive impairment have an increased risk of falling, but detecting falls or assessing fall risk can be challenging. Theora 360’s highly precise fall detection and prediction solution uses advanced AI, machine learning, and neural networking. Continuously gathering data via highly precise Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology enhances the system’s ability to detect falls, evaluate mobility changes, and determine fall risks and predictions.

Clairvoyant Networks is a solutions company leveraging the transformative power of technology to solve challenges. In partnership with Texas A&M University, they developed Theora 360. Their work is driven by personal experiences caring for family members with dementia and the realisation of the shortcomings in available technology. This inspired them to apply their business, marketing, user interface, and data science expertise to significantly enhance the lives of those affected.

Supersense Technologies is a 4G-enabled digital hub placed in the home of a person living with dementia, enabling them to connect with caregivers and family, and maintain their independence for longer. The single-device remote monitoring service is simple to install and use, is not dependent on wearables, and does not use intrusive cameras or microphones. It delivers insights in plain language, allowing carers to understand subtle shifts in daily needs and to plan appropriate, timely care interventions. Supersense Technologies spots missing medications, wandering, and broken heating in the depths of winter.

Supersense Technologies was founded by Dr. James Brown and Dr. Matt Ash and the team is composed of cognitive neuroscientists, data scientists, cloud development engineers, industrial designers and AI experts. The journey began with the co-founders’ exposure to the pressures dementia places on families. Driven by a commitment to reduce uncertainty in caregiving, they applied their technical expertise to develop a solution that empowers families and carers alike.

MemoryAid is a fully customisable home support device designed to empower people living with dementia to lead independent and meaningful lives, connect to their loved ones, and do activities that are valuable to them. MemoryAid leverages the familiar “call to action” of a ringing phone, enabling people with dementia to keep in touch with others via intuitive video calling, as well as offering personalised reminders for daily activities and prompts for initiating meaningful pursuits. People living with dementia and their carers use a companion app to design their own prompts, using photos from their own house, and recording instructions in their preferred voice and language. Prompts may include having a drink of water (daily activities), as well as video-calling a friend (meaningful pursuits).

The MemoryAid project team is based at Western Sydney University’s MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development and is partnered with researchers at Deakin University’s Applied Artificial Intelligence. Drawing on three years of collaborative research, MemoryAid is inspired by the team’s experience supporting family members living with dementia, as well as their academic expertise in autobiographical memory. The team is composed of biomedical engineers, software developers, and co-design and AI experts.