Otiom is the result of one of Denmark’s largest public-private innovation collaborations
Persons with dementia, relatives, caregivers, associations, municipalities and universities all participated in the collaboration because we wanted to determine, once and for all, what it would take to prevent a person with dementia from getting lost.
The history behind Otiom
An experience that led to the creation of Otiom.
One summer day, the unthinkable happened. Peter left his nursing home without the caregivers’ knowledge. When they realised that Peter was gone, the caregiver ran out to look for him. Peter had his GPS on him, but when the caregivers and volunteers figured out how to search for it, it turned out that it had run out of power. The GPS was therefore useless in finding Peter.
All too often, relatives and caregivers end up in situations like Peter’s: Persons with dementia get lost even though they have a GPS transmitter on them. This is what led to the collaboration between the Danish Age Associations,
several municipalities, universities, a number of persons diagnosed with dementia and their relatives. We wanted to develop the next generation in dementia safety devices for the home and for nursing care.
Our hope was to create a solution that would make it possible for people like Peter to move about freely without worry that he might get lost – on his part or on the part of his relatives. In other words: more freedom and less fear and incapacity.
Otiom is born
Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that none of the existing technologies could solve the problem.
It required years of work and investment, both from private investors and public authorities, before the right technology was discovered and the solution could be developed.
Otiom is the result of collaboration, research and technological progress. Otiom was developed by the Danish company ACUBIT, which was invited to join the collaboration. As opposed to traditional GPS devices, Otiom is based on the new Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The technology is far more energy efficient than previous tracking devices, more reliable and it works both indoors and outdoors.
Developed and produced in Denmark
There are several reasons why Otiom stands out from all the other solutions on the market. One of the reasons is that the goal extends beyond simply finding a person with dementia. Otiom also aims to prevent the problem, ensuring that the person will not wander in the first place.
Furthermore, Otiom is one of the first products that uses the new NB-IoT technology. Several telecommunications companies have played a key role in developing and implementing the antenna technology that makes Otiom unique.
Last but not least, Otiom was developed from scratch in Denmark. Nearly all manufacturers of tracking devices buy finished components from China, which they then combined in an app. The idea behind Otiom is Danish, the developers are in Denmark and Otiom is also manufactured in Denmark.
Read the manifesto that drives us to continue to develop Otiom.
The Otiom Team
Our team is composed of people with many different competences and backgrounds. We have very high expectations for ourselves and for each other, which ensures Otiom’s high quality.
