Dubai teen invents smart device for walking sticks to detect falls, issue SOS alerts

UAE residents with elderly parents living in their home countries will soon benefit from an innovative device aimed at sending alerts for elderly falls and ensuring a quicker response, particularly in cases of emergencies.

Aarav Trivedi, a high school student from a Dubai school, is pioneering this innovative technology for the elderly.

He is the visionary behind ‘Sanjeevani’ (one who infuses life), a lightweight IoT-based solution designed to enhance emergency response systems for seniors.

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The idea for this was sparked during Aarav’s volunteer work at an elderly care home in Delhi, India.

“This isn’t just about creating technology; it’s about giving a voice to those who often go unheard,” Aarav told Khaleej Times during an interview. “My goal was not to create an entirely new walking stick, as many elderly individuals find it inconvenient to replace the one they already use or to buy anything expensive. Therefore, I focused on designing a unit that can be easily attached to any existing stick turning it into a ‘smart’ device," said the 17-year-old student of GEMS Wellington International School, Dubai.

"This unit incorporates several modules and monitors various aspects, with’ fall detection’ being the most critical feature, given how common falls are among the elderly. It uses motion sensors and an emergency button, along with GSM connectivity (Global System for Mobile Communications),” he added.

Challenges

However, during the development of the prototype he faced challenges such as false positives or instances where the stick was dropped without an actual fall occurring.

“Every false alarm wastes resources and every missed alert could be life-threatening. These issues required careful consideration, but I eventually managed to resolve them,” said Trivedi.

He highlighted that instead of pressuring elderly people to learn how to use complex technology, simplicity is key. “Some seniors don’t like complicated technology,” he said, adding: "To keep it straightforward, when the stick falls, it emits five beeps. During this time, the user must press a button at the top of the stick to prevent an SOS signal from being sent to emergency services or a designated hotline."

"If the elderly person is unconscious and unable to respond within the five-beep timeframe, the SOS signal will automatically be dispatched to the assigned recipient,” said the student who aspires to pursue Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the future.

Thus, when an elderly person falls or presses the emergency button, the system automatically alerts emergency services and caregivers, saving crucial time when every second matters.

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