Nordic-powered cellular IoT wearable keeps watchful eye on people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases

U.S. technology company, Saluswear Corp, has launched a wearable device designed to give people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia a greater degree of independence and security in their day-to-day life. The ‘Saluswear GPS’ device also provides peace of mind to carers and loved ones.

Offering a miniaturized 25 by 38 mm form factor, Saluswear GPS is an unobtrusive device that can be waist-or lanyard-worn, or placed inside a bag. It employs Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 SiP to provide cellular connectivity between the wearable and the Cloud, enabling carers to instantly locate the whereabouts of the individual via their smartphone or a website. In addition to near real time location tracking, additional features include fall alerts, a step tracker, and ‘Safe Zone’ geofencing.

“The Saluswear GPS device is designed for users that either don’t like to carry a smartphone, or don’t know how to use one, as can often be the case with older people living with a neurodegenerative disease,” says Chris Rotberg, CEO, Saluswear Corp. “The cellular connectivity and GPS connectivity provided by Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP negates the need for the wearer to carry a smartphone, and ensures family, friends, and caregivers can still pinpoint their location around the clock.”

nRF Cloud powers real time location tracking

The Safe Zone geofencing capability can be set-up on the device by a caregiver using a Wi-Fi network. If the wearable leaves the so-called ‘Safe Zone’ a text message is sent to that caregiver—and any other registered contacts—after a user-defined period of time. All the Saluswear GPS near real time location tracking functionality is enabled using a combination of the nRF9160 SiP’s LTE-M connectivity and GPS, Wi-Fi, as well as Nordic’s nRF Cloud. Integration with nRF Cloud extends the device’s location functionality beyond GPS, to dynamically employ Wi-Fi SSID scanning and single-cell (SCELL) and multi-cell (MCELL) cell tower location to determine the whereabouts of the device, even when a GPS signal is absent.

We use nRF Cloud for OTA [over-the-air] updates and for cellular and Wi-Fi locationing. We’ve been amazed how well the Wi-Fi locationing works and are impressed with the accuracy.

Chris Rotberg, CEO, Saluswear Corp.

The nRF9160 SiP’s 64 MHz Arm® Cortex®-M33 application processor supervises the on-board accelerometer that detects movement and falling. This allows the Saluswear wearable to not only track the user’s steps to ensure they are getting sufficient exercise, but also to detect a potential fall. In the event of a fall, the device will send a text message to all the user’s approved contacts to notify them of the wearer’s location. This functionality is particularly important for vulnerable people living alone.

nPM1300 PMIC extends battery life

The Saluswear GPS device employs a 300 mAh lithium cell, providing at least 10 days of power between recharge. The extended battery life is thanks in part to the integration of Nordic’s nPM1300 PMIC, and the nRF9160 SiP’s PSM and eDRX power-saving modes that allow the device to sleep for longer periods of time.

“The nRF9160 is the perfect device for Saluswear GPS as it has enough power and features to provide whatever we need,” continues Rotberg. “We chose it for the ability to control other devices like the accelerometer, and for the low power consumption which increased exponentially with the integration of the nPM1300 PMIC.

“We use nRF Cloud for OTA [over-the-air] updates and for cellular and Wi-Fi locationing. We’ve been amazed how well the Wi-Fi locationing works and are impressed with the accuracy.”