Already a leader in the automotive industry, Pontosense, an AgeTech Collaborative™ (ATC) startup participant, offers a wireless monitoring solution that uses advanced, non-invasive radar technology to help keep older adults safe in their homes, detect and help prevent falls, and give caregivers real-time insights into the well-being and behavior of their loved ones.
We caught up with Alex Qi, CEO and co-founder of Pontosense, who described the company’s impressive technology, moving into the AgeTech space from another industry and the importance of being proactive in keeping loved ones safe.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
What can you tell us about Pontosense?
We think of ourselves as a “peace of mind” company. Our solution includes a wireless sensor that people can put in the corner or on the wall in their homes or the home of a loved one. The sensor uses radar to detect really small movements — as small as 0.15 millimeters. For context, a grain of salt measures about 0.3 millimeters, so we’re measuring movements smaller than half a grain of salt, from up to 30 feet away. It’s a very powerful solution that lets us do a lot of things. We can use it to build a little anonymized “hologram” of the person in the room, which lets us see their movements, how they walk, and — crucially — detect a fall. And we do this without cameras or microphones, which are pretty invasive for a home space.
What’s a typical use case for your device?
People want to know that their loved ones are safe, so fall detection and prevention is the No. 1 use case, because falls are the leading cause of injury to adults who are 65 or older. But we also track a number of things like activities of daily living, such as getting out of bed and visiting the washroom.
Our companion app is an interface that shows a little schematic of the living spaces where the radar sensors are set up, along with the “hologram” of the person that shows where they are at any given time. That way, you can look at the app and see, for example, that dad’s in the kitchen right now, or mom just got out of bed, all in real time. And if they fall, a little fall icon pops up, and you’ll also automatically get an alert call to your phone.
The app also provides various data points, a timeline and other insights so that you can see how your loved one is behaving. For example, you could see that dad went to bed at 9 p.m., got up three times during the night, then slept until 7:30 a.m. And if any of that is a cause for concern, you have an opportunity to do something about it. But because we don’t use cameras, it’s a more private way of keeping people safe.
What got you interested in working in the AgeTech space?
We actually started in the automotive industry, where it’s very difficult to get a top safety rating without being able to fulfill certain safety requirements. One of those requirements is to have a system that can detect when a child is left alone in a hot car. But — how do you do that? Cameras can’t see through the car seat, and weight sensors can’t distinguish between a child and something like a backpack. So you have to use something like our radar to penetrate obstacles and see the child. That’s where we started, and I believe we’re the only company in the world that’s in production that can meet the requirements for that application.
As it turns out, there are a lot of parallels and even overlap between the automotive industry and the AgeTech industry. A lot of people we work with in the automotive industry told us, “Hey, AgeTech is a big thing,” so we started looking at ways we could bring our radar technology to this space. Since we’re automobile-grade, our tech is overengineered for AgeTech applications — for example, our hardware can endure temperatures from –40° Celsius to 120° Celsius and be just fine. But already having such a robust technology has been advantageous for us as we’ve entered AgeTech. Instead of being just two people in a room spending time trying to figure out the tech, we’ve been able to focus on getting into the AgeTech market as fast as possible.
What are some speed bumps you’ve encountered moving into the realm of AgeTech?
I think AgeTech is an industry where the need for certain solutions is very clear, but there’s a lot less regulation in AgeTech compared to the automotive industry. This can create a lot of “noise” for people. Also, a lot of people just don’t know that certain solutions exist, so there’s a little bit of education that needs to take place. Plus, when a new product or solution comes out, it takes people a while to get accustomed to it.
As a company, Pontosense is a little more established than many startups who become part of the AgeTech Collaborative. What’s your perspective on the benefits of joining ATC?
I would say that the AgeTech Collaborative accelerator is the best program of its type that we’ve gone through. Even though we’re established in the automotive industry, the Collaborative is full of people who know the AgeTech industry far better than we do. And AARP itself has been around a long time, working in this space — so it would be foolish for us to not take that opportunity to go through that and join, right? We got a lot of really good help in terms of advice and practical things, like surveys we can run and lots of other resources. And people in the Collaborative are fantastic to work with. I’d recommend the ATC to anybody.
Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share?
Our message to people in general is that we’re all facing the same issue: We all have parents or grandparents that we want to keep safe. So do whatever you have to do — even if it’s not using Pontosense! Our solution is more private than using cameras, which people don’t typically want in their home. But if you need to use cameras, don’t hesitate, because a camera-based solution is better than doing nothing if that means helping a loved one live 5, 10 or even 20 years longer. Ultimately, that’s the outcome we’re all striving for.
Want to learn more or connect with startups like Pontosense? If you’re already in the AgeTech Collaborative, log in to explore the ATC Directory and start a conversation. If not, apply to join us today and tap into the power of purpose-driven innovation.
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