This project is a response to the Dementia Longitude Prize challenge call for a digital device or service designed for use by people living with dementia as the primary users. It must be able to demonstrate a transformational improvement in the lives of users, helping them to retain independence in one or more of the areas that contributes to their wellbeing and quality of life.

We are proposing an assistive technology comprising a wearable base product with add-in modularised components each programmed to assist different elements of functioning – for example a gait/balance module that alerts the wearer when walking is unbalanced or gait changes to counter falls, a speech recognition module, memory tablet, spatial orientation.

Immersive or ‘XR’ technologies (including Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and haptics) are being increasingly used in healthcare interventions to deliver personalised and sensory interventions for patients.

Leveraging OmBeond’s experience working with interactive technologies such as VR, haptics and spatial audio, we will aim to develop ‘modules’ delivering content to the user via highly immersive techniques. In other words, the content will not be presented in a straightforwardly didactic way (such as in a standardised smartphone Android or iOS app) but will be amplified with physical or tangible elements (such as integrated haptic or vibrational signals.)

The end solution is likely to rely partly on accessible software (such as a smartphone app) as well as a combination of content and technology to offer the user an original form of wearable interactive device.

The proof-of-concept phase will establish the viability of the delivery hardware and one of the ultimate immersive content-based modules.