In France, there are more than 2 million falls among the elderly each year. This is a real public health problem since 10% of victims remain on the ground for more than an hour. A waiting time that can sometimes be fatal. To remedy this, Thomas Saphir (CentraleSupélec engineer and entrepreneur) and Piotr Antonik (doctor of Physics and lecturer-researcher in Artificial Intelligence at CentraleSupélec) launched the startup Zoe Care in 2022. They took advantage of the CES in Las Vegas to present their Zoe Fall solution, designed to detect falls among seniors, while fully respecting privacy. Indeed, there is no need for a camera or object on you: Zoe Fall's AI analyzes the deformation of radio waves in order to accurately identify the movements of the people present. In the event of a fall, an alert is automatically sent to a caregiver's mobile application in order to react as quickly as possible. Zoe Fall: a non-intrusive and invisible solution for fall detection…
As simple to install as a wall socket and easy to use as a mobile application, Zoe Fall breaks down the barriers of “remote monitoring” of the elderly. In particular, it frees itself from solutions based on cameras or microphones that are very expensive and not very respectful of privacy. No more accessories that we forget or that we do not want to wear continuously. Zoe Fall detects falls by collecting and analyzing Wi-Fi signals using a sensor plugged into a power outlet, before sending alerts to a mobile application. With a coverage of up to 70m2, a single sensor is enough to secure several rooms or even an entire floor. Already used successfully (detection rate close to 100%) in several nursing homes, this invisible and omnipresent assistant is revolutionizing the monitoring of seniors at home and in specialized establishments.
Promoting the maintenance of seniors at home is a mission that has been particularly close to our hearts since the launch of Zoe Care. We are therefore proud to announce the launch of Zoe Fall, an innovative fall detection solution, based on Wi-Fi waves, non-intrusive and respectful of privacy. We are convinced that our technology can change the lives of millions of seniors by bringing them the serenity they need on a daily basis.
Thomas Saphir, co-founder and CEO of Zoe Care
… Thanks to a life-friendly AI that transforms Wi-Fi waves into a motion detector
Zoe Care was born from university research on AI-based movement recognition. Piotr Antonik, an artificial intelligence researcher at CentraleSupélec and co-founder of Zoe Care, was then conducting research on movement recognition from Wi-Fi signals. These electromagnetic waves are, in fact, disrupted by the presence of physical objects as well as by the movements of the people present. He has therefore succeeded in developing a machine learning algorithm capable of identifying movements in real time by analyzing the disturbances suffered by these waves.
Unlike deep learning algorithms that require a large computing capacity and therefore processing in the cloud, the algorithm developed by Zoe Care is directly embedded in the Wi-Fi receiver for total respect of privacy. Achieving performances comparable or even superior to hosted technologies, Zoe Fall is therefore the ideal solution for all those who take care of our elders without wanting to compromise on efficiency and respect for their privacy.
The support of SATT Paris-Saclay then allowed the project to mature, leading to the patent for the technology.
Our initial premise was as follows: to take care of our elders without compromising on their privacy or the effectiveness of our solution. We therefore use a disruptive technology based on embedded AI to analyze Wi-Fi wave disturbances to ultimately detect falls. Our system is not interested in the content of the Wi-Fi signal, but only in the shape of the wave. In addition, no information is transmitted to the cloud. Ultimately, the only information that comes out is the alert message sent to caregivers and/or relatives. “
Piotr Antonik, co-founder and CTO of Zoe Care
How does it work?
Concretely, the Wi-Fi waves emitted by a fixed source, such as an internet box or a router, are captured by the Zoe Care box, a Wi-Fi receiver plugged into a power outlet. The AI present in this sensor then analyzes, locally, the deformation of the waves in order to recognize movements and identify any type of falls. If necessary, an alert is then sent to the smartphone of a loved one and/or caregiver.
Towards a 360° solution to promote the maintenance of the elderly at home
Zoe Care is a deeptech that opens up the field of possibilities in terms of assistance to seniors. In addition to detecting falls, its motion detection technology can also be used as a tool to prevent loss of autonomy thanks to an in-depth study of daily activity at home. Measuring walking, shortness of breath, etc. Zoe Care is also working on an invisible and polypathological “remote monitoring” tool capable of detecting symptoms of the development of diseases such as heart failure or sleep apnea, and of forming a pre-diagnosis.
This patented technology will eventually be able to detect other disorders related to loss of autonomy such as malnutrition, wandering, sleep or behavioral disorders. A revolution in disease prevention and home care that will change the lives of millions of seniors!
The ultimate goal of Zoe Care is therefore clear: to allow vulnerable people to remain at home for as long as possible in complete safety.
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