Alcove is making it easier than ever for the elderly and people with disabilities to get the care they need when they need it. Founder and CEO Hellen Bowey is determined to revolutionize the idea of smart home care.
You might not have seen this UK based smart home startup at the Smart Home Summit. But Alcove combines a vision for better service with the latest cutting-edge technology.
It all comes from founder and CEO Hellen Bowey.
What is the Alcove Smart Home System and when can we expect it in the U.S.?
“Have you SEEN what exists at home to keep us safe as we age?!” creator Hellen Bowey responds when asked about her inspiration for Alcove.
She elaborates about pull cords, big red buttons for assistance, and other dated “technology”. She signals at a lack of innovation in the realm of at-home care.
Bowey grew up alongside a sister with microcephaly, witnessing how stigmatizing some solutions for disabled or elderly people can be. She believed that everyone deserves better.
She started Alcove in 2014 to augment technology like techwear and motion Sensors for elderly care. Bowey believes that Alcove and other tech like it can empower people that modern society marginalizes or excludes in some way.
You might be quick to judge, saying that their aim is sound, but where’s the proof?
In the first three months of deployment, an Alcove smart home saved a client’s life.
After a client had a fall, the Alcove smart home sensors recognized this and notified a care worker. The care worker showed up within the hour to help the client get to the hospital.
How many tech startups can say that about their disruptive or innovative technology?
Better Service Through Innovation and Integration
The secret to Alcove’s success isn’t difficult to discern. Bowey expounds on her business practices enthusiastically, reinforcing Alcove’s mission.
The smart home solution system offers different packages for different use cases. You can choose one that uses Alcove exclusive technology or one that mixes and matches tech from other companies like Amazon.
For instance, the “Wandering” package features Echo Show devices and Amazon’s Ring doorbell and movement sensors. You can also select smart-light features with voice controls or a video “carephone” for Dementia patients.
Alcove’s other products include:
- Fall sensors
- Bed sensors
- Smoke sensors
- Temperature sensors
- Bedwetting senors
- Chair sensors
- A GPS-tracking smartwatch
This means that Alcove also collects lots of data points — a little more than 35 million to be precise. The company stores personal data securely using Microsoft Azure Cloud and anonymizing personal information.
Looking to the American Market
Bowey expressed immense excitement in moving to the U.S. market. Alcove makes the move as part of the London’s International Business Programme.
The U.S. would make it their fifth country of operation after the UK, Germany, France, Poland, and Spain. But the U.S. expansion also includes the release of an AI-enabled insurance product.
As Bowey told Forbes:
“The future of aging looks like our Instagram…we want to rid society of the stigma that as you age you become a little grandma with a silly perm and have no choice but to sit there in your armchair.”
The AI-enabled product announcement and U.S. expansion should occur within 6-months.
Which feature of the Alcove Smart Home System piques your interest most?
The post Alcove Smart Home Comes to the U.S. to Save Lives appeared first on Edgy Labs.
