We’ve heard of GPS shoes before, but its been a fashion gimmick more than something that could be used in a practical sense. However, this time around, GPS company GTX and footwear manufacturer Aetrex Worldwide have teamed up to create a GPS shoe line for Alzheimer’s patient. Given that 60 percent of Alzheimer’s patients will have at least one dangerous wandering incident over the course of the illness, a pair of shoes that can track location to within 30 feet could have quite the market. The theory behind embedding the GPS sensor in shoes is that Alzheimer’s patients often will remove unfamiliar accessories such as GPS bracelets, but would put on shoes naturally. The GPS sensor can be hooked up to a geofence so that if a patient wanders outside a pre-defined boundary, a caregiver would be immediately notified by phone, email or text message with the person’s location. The two company’s plan to begin testing the GPS shoes later this year, but a timeline for commercial launch and a retail price are details that aren’t yet known.
GPS shoes for Alzheimer’s patients?
Jun 10 at 1:01am by admin