IEGLO

Infrastructure-Augmented EGNOS/Galileo Receiver for Personal Mobility

Aims

The main goal of the project IEGLO is the development of a handheld device for elderly or Alzheimer disease persons. For basic positioning and communication, different technologies like Assisted GNSS, High Sensitivity GNSS, WLAN, GSM, RFID, and inertial sensors will be used. The additional use of inertial sensors for the detection of distress situations and collapses of the supervised person will be an evolution step.

Brief Description

The focus of the IEGLO project is the development of a small, possibly handheld, device for elderly and handicapped people. Background for the activity is an alarming increase in the number of accidents of seniors and handicapped people over the last few years. At present, in Europe there are approximately 4.000.000 people ridden with Alzheimer’s disease. Especially people with Alzheimer’s disease very often get in situations where they become disoriented. They need support and supervision by either their family members or nursing staff around the clock every day.

A user friendly mobile device for these people improves the situation significantly for family members and nursing staff. This comfortable device will be applicable in indoor and outdoor areas, so that an Alzheimer patient, who is equipped with such a device, could be supervised around the clock in his environment. Therefore, the mobile device consists of complementary redundant positioning sensors, which support a continuous determination of the user’s position. For this purpose, different positioning technologies (AGNSS, HSGNSS, SBAS, WLAN, dead reckoning and RFID) will be used.

Furthermore, a set of inertial sensors will provide detection of distress or sudden collapse of a monitored person. In cases of collapses and unusual motions, the concerned person should be found in a short time by the nursing staff or their family members.

The whole information about the supervised person is forwarded via secure communication channels (WLAN, GSM) to a central server. At the web-based service centre secure monitors display required position data and allow setting personalised monitoring parameters such as permitted areas (“geofencing”).

Additional to the monitoring of elderly people or Alzheimer disease patients, the concept can be used also for child-monitoring applications or outdoor activities.

TeleConsult Austria as the coordinator of the IEGLO project received on 16th September 2009 the Award
“Austrian Champions in European Research – 2009”

from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency.