Japanese company Union Tool Co have developed a smart LED light bulb with a built-in laser-based radar that can monitor a person’s movements and automatically signal for help if they fall.
The bulbs screw or plug into standard overhead fixtures and feature a 24 GHz milliwave radar, developed by Panasonic.
Designed specifically for elderly people, the device constantly tracks movement within a 13.2 square metre area by bouncing a signal off a person’s head and measuring how long it takes to return.
If the distance suddenly and rapidly increases, the bulb assumes someone fell and uses an on-board networking chip to send a signal that can be picked up by a professional service or relayed to family or caretakers.
The Laser Light can also determine whether someone has suddenly fallen, or simply just fallen asleep, by using the milliwave radar device to measure their state of breathing.
The device is expected to be released onto the market in September 2015.
Courtesy Nikkei Technology and Gizmodo
