Vayyar launches home radar sensor for remotely detecting falls

Vayyar Imaging launched a home sensor device for detecting falls among seniors, without the use of wearable trackers or pendants.

The Walabot Home uses low-power radio waves, similar to Wi-Fi signals and radar, to monitor a person’s movement through walls and objects, and generate a 3-D heatmap of a user’s posture and location. If it detects a fall, it can automatically place a call for help.

The camera-less approach allows users to maintain their privacy, especially in sensitive locations where falls may be more likely to happen, such as in the bathroom, the company said. The device represents Vayyar’s flagship product in a new line of smart home devices oriented toward the elderly, to connect them with their contacts in case of an emergency.

“There is a staggering number of adults who fall in their own homes every year,” Vayyar CEO and Chairman Raviv Melamed said in a statement, citing CDC statistics estimating that 29 million people over 65 suffer a fall annually, with 7 million injuries. “Most falls happen without anybody else knowing that the event occurred.”

RELATED: Israeli startup nabs $22M to back 3D image sensor that transcends visual barriers

The Tel Aviv, Israel-based Vayyar compares that risk with the about 70,000 household fires that occur per year in the U.S., though many homes are required to have smoke detectors.

The $249 Walabot Home outwardly operates in a similar fashion, with the thin device being mounted on a wall for passive monitoring. It also includes a button for placing a call to an emergency contact, with communication directly through the device, and can be operated with a smartphone app.