Belgian fall detection and alert system in real time

12/10/2022

Falls occur regularly in hospitals and healthcare facilities. The Brussels-based company MintT has developed a smart system with sensors, algorithms and artificial intelligence that generates alerts in real time and anticipates fall risks.

Medical Intelligence Technologies (MintT) was founded in 2015 by a team of motion analysis software specialists, a nurse and a signal processing engineer. They have now decided to pool their knowledge, skills and experience to gradually devise adequate solutions around fall detection.

There is no camera involved, but rather a sensor, which autonomously transmits the contours of shapes in a room like a cloud of dots. The algorithms and artificial intelligence analyse that raw information and recognise the floor, walls, furniture, the bed, etc. Movement can also be detected, for instance of a person walking, fast or slow, or possibly falling. The whole system runs automatically, albeit under the supervision of professionals. The system gives an alert in real time, which makes it possible to intervene much more quickly. This significantly improves the safety, quality of care, confidence and autonomy of patients or residents on the one hand, and the peace of mind of healthcare personnel on the other. It also allows us to learn from fall incidents and, as such, to prevent them as much as possible in the future.

MintT is hoping to move into other countries than Belgium and France starting in 2023 and to expand its business into home nursing.