First Stage Miniaturisation of VERITY

We have recieved the new Wrotes following the first stages of miniaturisation and they are working well.

Now it is a case of looking at power consumption to determine the best possible battery type.

Watch this space!

Product Developer Nominated for Award

Dr. Ping Jiang is a finalist in the Business Innovation category for the Excellence in Knowledge Transfer Awards 2010.

You can read about the award here.

Dr. Jiang and his development team at the School of Computing, Informatics and Media, University of Bradford, have been working with us to develop VERITY since July 2009.

Should we alter VERITY to take advantage of 3G?

Last week we had an interesting discussion with a mobile network operator (sorry, can’t say who!) and one of the topics that came up was the 3G network.  The 3rd Generation network is supposed to be where “it” is at; the network is intended for the true smart phones which can make the most of the network’s increased bandwidth and potential for web applications, as well as it’s allowance for simultaneous speech and data services.

The mobile network operator asked whether VERITY would be utilising the 3G network and, well, we aren’t sure.

One of the unique and most important characteristics of VERITY is it’s useability – the lack of screen and keyboard on the communication device means that anybody can use it regardless of arthritic fingers or the need for reading glasses. If we were to create the phone with the 3G network in mind all of a sudden we have need of a screen and keypad (be that touch screen or buttons) which might enhance the capabilities but reduces the useability.

We’d welcome your votes and comments on the subject.

Bill in the Spotlight

Bill is loving his time as the big star of the company, especially when it’s too cold for days out on his allotment. He says that when he makes it big (which he is sure he will) he’s going to take VERITY and move to Hollywood!

You can view his performance on our website.

Whitepaper: Healthcare Strategies for an Ageing Society

This whitepaper from Phillips contains lots of food for thought.

It suggests a number of approaches including the consideration of home and community-based alternatives to care homes.

Once out of fashion, home-based care is coming back into vogue as governments grapple with the costs and management challenges of aged care and because older individuals, ever more likely to exercise their consumer power, prefer to live at home. Medical professionals agree. In a survey conducted in early 2009 by the Economist Intelligence Unit, care in the home was selected by medical professionals as the second most important area for healthcare investment, after hospitals and clinics.

The report highlights the financial benefits that can come with home care:

In the US state of Illinois, for example, the Department on Aging spends about US$117 per day for people in nursing homes, versus a monthly total of US$650 for home care.

As well as additional benefits associated with telemedicine and remote monitoring systems:

More broadly, the wider adoption of telemedicine and remote monitoring systems will likely assist in making home-based care more feasible and safe. This enables medical professionals to provide advice remotely, and by monitoring patients’ vital signs it gives nurses time to focus on more important tasks. There are also knock-on benefits for developing countries—in 2005, almost one-quarter of a million people were employed in telemedicine in India, up from barely 30,000 five years previously.
The European Commission has suggested that member states should go as far as establishing a legal framework in place by 2011 to promote telemedicine.

The paper is well worth a read, you can download it by clicking here.

Verity on Telecareaware.com

On Friday Verity was featured on the front page of Telecare Aware, you can see an excerpt below.

Innovative: Game-changing: Next Generation (Verity)

Friday, 12 February 2010 08:50

Readers who know me [Steve] will be expecting a rant about the meaningless use of the words ‘innovative’, ‘game-changing’ and ‘next generation’ – but NO! I actually find myself reaching for these words to describe a new telecare (PERS) device – with health-related possibilities – that has been developed in the UK. ‘Verity’, to give it its name, had its first public airing at a venture capital event on Wednesday and is getting its first online exposure, today, in Telecare Aware. From a user’s perspective ‘ease-of-use’ hardly describes the simplicity of the two-part Verity device but, of course, this has only been achieved through some extremely sophisticated design and development work.

View the full article here.

iMonsys in the News

iMonsys have been featured in TheBusinessDesk.com prior to their appearance at Venturefest this week.

Read the full article below or see the original here.

TWO fledgling Yorkshire entrepreneurs are hoping to secure £750,000 of funding at Venturefest Yorkshire to help get what they believe is a revolutionary new care product to the field trial stage.

Graham Priestley and his nephew Alan Bell, both from Halifax, represent Imonsys, one of eight young businesses that will pitch to a panel of judges and an audience of business angel investors in the investment competition at Venturefest to win a prize package valued at more than £28,000. 

The Venturefest Yorkshire Investment Competition, which is being held at the event at York Racecourse on Wednesday, is organised by Connect Yorkshire and the Yorkshire Association of Business Angels with sponsorship from York-based Shepherd Group.

Mr Priestley and Mr Bell are also seeking board level involvement in their business and investment for the new concept – codenamed Verity.

The pair claim the concept will relieve pressure on the NHS by reducing unnecessary 999 calls and giving carers peace of mind.

Verity is a smart monitor that records key biometric signs, including heart rate, activity levels, skin temperature and the ambient temperature, and links with a voice activated device to verify the user’s situation and access help if any of those vital signs change. 

Mr Bell said: “We don’t believe there is another real time mobile monitoring system on the market that covers as wide a range of people, applications and conditions in a single solution as Verity.
“Technology is only as good as the ability to use it, and we’ve designed this product with the end user firmly in mind at all times.

“The monitoring device is ‘invisible’ to the wearer, concealed in a watch strap. The communication device is no bigger than a mobile phone and has no screen or buttons. 

“The sensors in the watch strap are set up to record and monitor the user’s biometric data and the voice activated mobile phone reacts quickly if there are any changes to the user’s vital signs that are outside the norm.”

Development work has been undertaken in partnership with the University of Bradford and funded by the pair themselves alongside a research grant from regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, which supports Venturefest Yorkshire.

Mr Bell added: “It might sound ambitious, but we believe this is a revolutionary platform with the scope to develop an almost endless range of applications in the future. 

“Right now, our priority is getting Verity in front of investors to secure the funding that will help us get the product to market as quickly as possible. Venturefest will give us that exposure.”

Venturefest Yorkshire Investment Competition

iMonsys has been competing for the chance to present in the Investment Competition at Venturefest Yorkshire in February 2010. This morning we were notified that we have been shortlisted into the final 8 companies who will be presenting on the day! 

We will be competing to win prizes with a combined worth of up to £28,500 from the following companies:

• Garbutt and Elliott: 40 hours of financial management consultancy services to help support the winner to achieve their business objectives.
• Technology Innovation Group: Market Valuation Package
• Atkinsons: Accountancy Services
• The Partners Group: PR and Marketing Support
• Ripley Training: Training services
• UDL: Patent and Trademark Advice
• Denison Till: Legal Services
• Finance Mix: Business Development Consultancy
• MFL Science and Technology: Insurance Advice

Meet Bill

Let us introduce you to Bill.

Bill will be helping us to demonstrate the capabilities of VERITY in a short video.

Although Bill isn’t really keen on technology, he doesn’t mind VERITY because it is discreet and there are no small buttons or text which makes it really easy for him to use.

Bill is a man who likes his independence and he loves his allotment, so VERITY gives his daughter peace of mind that he’s ok whether he’s uprooting lettuce or watching tv.

Article: A Million Days Lost to Bed Blockers

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1553520/A-million-days-lost-to-bed-blockers.html

Bed blocking in NHS hospitals got worse last year and was responsible for an estimated million lost hospital days, a survey revealed yesterday.

Lost bed days rose to nearly one million last year with the cost to the NHS spiralling to £200 million.

Why aren’t patients who are ready to be discharged, actually discharged from the hospital?

The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust revealed one patient had remained in hospital for more than four years because no suitable alternative accommodation could be found.

The 1,512 day overstay – at a cost of more than £300,000 – follows the case last year of a patient in Kent who had spent 1,533 days in hospital after being deemed fit for discharge.

So how could VERITY help?

• In the cases where patients may not have the support of a carer, but they need careful monitoring
• Where monitoring is required, patients could be sent home sooner with a VERITY unit rather than stay for observation in the hospital