【2022 Solutions】 AI + Smart Glasses: Hsiung-Hsin Technology Targets Smart Care Market, Ensuring Safety and Security for the Elderly
In the small care room, Mr. Wang, who is over eighty, is coughing intensely. The nurse gently uses a suction device to help him, hoping to make him more comfortable. Meanwhile, a sharp-eyed family member notices that the nurse is wearing smart glasses. At the other end, the doctor organizes medical records while simultaneously monitoring Mr. Wang's condition on a screen... With the advent of precision care, it will soon be a blessing for the care market for doctors to remotely monitor crucial physiological information of the cared-for in real time.
In fact, Hsiung-Hsin Technology, established in 2020, uses smart glasses combined with AI algorithms to launch smart care services as an AI startup.
Through AI + multiple sensors to achieve effective smart care
In 2021, Hsiung-Hsin Technology participated in the Ministry of Economic Affairs Industrial Bureau AI+ Emerging Selection event, cooperating with smart glasses leader Jozhen Technology. Jozhen provided millimeter-wave radar and smart glasses, combined with Hsiung-Hsin Technology's AI algorithms, to launch 'AI Care Recognition Service System' and a life-saving 'Fall Prevention System'. The 'AI Care Recognition Service System' uses radar millimeter waves and Time-of-Flight (ToF) among various sensor technologies combined with point cloud and mmWave deep learning analysis in AI algorithms. While protecting personal privacy, it can detect patients' physiological data upon hospital admission as well as detect falls and bed exits during bed care.
The 'life-saving fall prevention system', on the other hand, utilizes artificial intelligence and 3D technology, combined with radar sensing devices, while protecting personal data through 'de-identification' technology, detecting falls in real-time in the environment.
▲Building the AI Care Recognition Service System, Hsiung-Hsin Technology is aiming at the smart care market
Lee Jia-Hsin, founder and chairman of Hsiung-Hsin Technology, who has worked for IBM Taiwan for 14 years, states that after placing millimeter-wave radar in the medical test field, combined with AI algorithms, they can obtain physiological signals such as the patient's breath and heartbeat. Moreover, when paired with Jozhen's smart glasses, during a doctor's consultation, the physician can immediately see the patient's heartbeat and breathing data through the glasses, enhancing efficiency. Additionally, Jozhen has also developed a management platform where physicians and nursing staff can view the patient's physiological data at a glance.
After integrating the 'AI Care Recognition Service System' and 'Life-Saving Fall Prevention System', they were launched and commercialized in June 2021, and officially introduced into Kaohsiung Municipal Triumph Hospital by the end of November last year. It not only helps medical staff understand the residents' physiological conditions, monitoring elders' physiological data continuously, but also reduces the burden on medical institutions while preventing accidents and enabling quick action in emergencies to provide optimal medical care.
Aside from medical institutions, another major target customer group for Hsiung-Hsin Technology's products are long-term care institutions, with ongoing product implementation plans in Tainan and Eastern Taiwan.
On-demand lightweight design, easy to use and reasonably priced
Lee Jia-Hsin mentions that the company's products/services are developed in-house, designed to be lightweight. Depending on the needs of the institution where they are implemented, they may choose between CPU computing or edge computing for flexible configuration, which is very convenient and also comparatively cost-effective. In the future, through Jozhen smart glasses, diagnoses can be made more immediately and quickly.
The method allows nursing or care staff to wear smart glasses when visiting patients or residents. The images seen by the nursing staff's eyes are transmitted in real-time to the backend, allowing doctors to make immediate diagnoses based on real-time images and take appropriate care measures, effectively assessing the patient's condition on time.
▲Hsiung-Hsin Technology's smart care services have been listed on the Startup Common Supply Contract Platform
Last year, Hsiung-Hsin Technology's products/services were also listed on the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprise Administration's Startup Common Supply Contract Procurement Platform, available for government agencies, public medical institutions, and long-term care facilities to purchase for lease. In the future, they hope to expand to private medical institutions and care centers, enabling more care facilities to utilize technology for transformation and reducing the talent shortage in the care market.
Furthermore, with more than 300,000 elderly people living alone in Taiwan, Lee Jia-Hsin believes that as the aging society approaches, the health and safety issues of solitary elderly individuals are increasingly receiving attention. If technological care medical solutions can be incorporated into the subsidy scope for assistive devices, it can also help reduce the burden on local government institutions for solitary elderly care, effectively lowering societal costs.
Extended application: Smart campuses enhance management safety and efficiency
Lee Jia-Hsin points out that the company's core values are making life safer and improving living quality. The company has developed its own software and hardware solutions for big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. Using a hybrid cloud development approach, it addresses various types of medical care pain points, enhances medical management efficiency, and improves residents' safety, thus significantly enhancing overall services by medical institutions.
Hsiung-Hsin Technology's partners include SI businesses, medical care institutions, large chain restaurants, and major venues. In the future, there are plans to develop into an AI SaaS company, extending services to Japan, Southeast Asia, and other overseas markets.
Additionally, Lee Jia-Hsin, who teaches at Tunghai University in Taichung, is also actively promoting the smart campus initiative. Currently, Hsiung-Hsin Technology has established a 'smart campus' at Tunghai University, utilizing up to 700 cameras throughout the campus to build a miniature AI SaaS platform for monitoring. This not only allows for mask, human traffic, restricted area, and license plate recognition within the campus but also enables automatic records of the campus's flora and fauna, greatly aiding in the efficiency of campus safety management.
As the population gradually ages, home care becomes a universal challenge. With a low doctor-to-patient ratio, both inside and outside hospitals, including extended to care institutions, medical professionals face a scarcity of manpower. Using AI technology to assist the elderly care market presents itself as the best solution. Besides smart elderly care and smart campuses, Hsiung-Hsin Technology also applies its image recognition technology in places like factory safety and parking lot license plate recognition, and future applications will continue to expand boundlessly.
▲Hsiung-Hsin Technology's founder and chairman, Lee Jia-Hsin
「Translated content is generated by ChatGPT and is for reference only. Translation date:2024-05-19」