Contest to design device to track location of dementia patients
Current satellite technology, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) that can track the location of dementia patients or special needs individuals, is often imprecise with a margin of error of up to 10m, meaning the person one is seeking could be on the other side of the road or in a different building.
The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is trying to plug the distance gap with a competition dubbed GNSS Innovation Challenge, which will be launched today.
Working with private space technology company Singapore Space & Technology (SSTL), SLA wants tertiary students to develop a device, worn on the wrist, that can more accurately pinpoint where the wearer is, with a margin of error of less than a metre.
The device will be based on another type of satellite technology known as differential global navigation satellite systems (DGNSS).
Consumer-grade wearables based on DGNSS are currently not available here.
Checks by The Straits Times have found that most tracking devices designed for the elderly, such as the key fob-like SOSBuddy and Pebbell, use GPS technologies that are not as accurate as DGNSS.
SSTL chief executive Lynette Tan said: "Remote monitoring technology could help give family members better peace of mind, with real-time knowledge of the whereabouts of their loved ones."
Unlike GPS, DGNSS makes additional use of reference stations on land, helping to correct the inaccuracies in signals transmitted by space satellites before the information is sent to the user's device.
Participants are tasked to incorporate other indoor technologies together with the DGNSS so that the device can be used both indoors and outdoors, overcoming the possibility of DGNSS signals being blocked by walls or roofs when the person is in a building.
Participants can stand to win cash prizes of up to $3,000, along with a possible internship at SLA.
The authority's acting chief executive Simon Ong said Singapore is facing an increasingly greying population and the development of such solutions will be able to assist with caring for the elderly or those with special needs.
He said: "This challenge is intended to engage young minds to overcome limitations in the development of wearable solutions to solve real-life problems to benefit the community. Through this initiative, we also hope to build interest in the use of satellite positioning reference technology to power real-time, high-precision positioning applications."
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