GPS Bracelets for Alzheimer’s Sufferers

Without effective equipment, searching for Alzheimer's disease sufferers who have wandered off can be inefficient. Because time is critical in such situations, every minute lost increases the risk of a tragic outcome.

To help reduce potential injury to adults who wander due to Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia among older adults, a program called Project S.O.F.T. Ware has provided GPS bracelets to a group of people with a history of wandering sue to Alzheimer’s or dementia. S.O.F.T. stands for “Satellite Option Finding Technology,” and the bracelet works like a smartphone.

According to a recent report by Global News, the device sends a message to a secure tracking website that police can log on to. Police can call program participants on their bracelet to ensure that they are OK and know where they are. “The device has a speed sensor to detect unusual behaviour (like getting in a car for those who don’t drive) and also sends a notification if the person falls down and hits the bracelet,” the report says.

The technology isn’t perfect. For example, detection is difficult if the battery dies, if the device is submerged in water or if the wearer removes the bracelet. The GPS bracelet also relies on satellite signals and cellular service, neither of which is always accessible in certain locations or areas.

Nevertheless, after field-testing, GPS was found to be the most accurate technology available. It also requires fewer resources compared with radio signal tracking equipment such as RFID, which requires sending officers out searching with antennae and activating ground search and rescue.

With GPS, police can use a smartphone, locate the person and call them – all within 10 minutes. 

Reinventing the Microwave

Holiday time generally means cooking time, and lots of it. That’s why we’re highlighting this microwave that’s been on the market for just a couple of months. Except it’s more than a microwave, more than an oven, and more than a grill, although it can play each of those roles. The LG Lightwave has some additional features that take it above your standard “microwave-oven-grill” combo, a pretty non-standard offering itself.

For faster cooking without a microwave, the oven function uses halogen heaters. The major feature, though, and the reason this appliance has been so talked-about, is the addition of wireless access. That’s right, you can control your oven through your phone. When you just can’t tear yourself away from your favorite TV show, even with a minute of two of pausing the DVR, now you can just adjust the oven temperature from the comfort of the couch. Across the street talking to your neighbor and going a little longer than expected? Set the timer to shut off at the right time. And if you happen to be out at the movies and remember that you never cleaned up after your latest cooking experiment gone wrong, just log in and activate the oven’s self-cleaner from afar.

Of course, with the mix of cooking methods combined with wireless access, the electronic backbone of the Lightwave is complex and intricate. The electronic controls involved in hardware like this are a model for the type of work that Etratech excels at. Do you have the next big kitchen breakthrough? Get in touch to work with our engineers and bring it to fruition.

New Video Showcases Etratech’s Range and Capabilities

“Show, don’t tell” is one of the best-known methods of telling a story, and with the release of our first set of videos showcasing our capabilities, Etratech is fully embracing the philosophy. As part of our continued effort to reach out and share the full range of services that we offer, we’ve invited you for a look at our facilities – both in North America, and our fully Etratech owned-and –operated facility in Asia.

In the video below, you’ll see our machinery at work, as well as the expert operators without whom our equipment would be useless. This initial introductory video covers everything we do, including turnkey electronic solutions, prototyping, MRP software, SMT and dip-through PCB design and manufacture – including box build assemblies – and our signature Total Acquisition Management (T.A.M.) program that allows smaller and mid-size businesses access to the our extensive network of suppliers. We’d tell you more, but the video does a great job of covering everything.

As the first in a series of several looks inside our business, we’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our facility. Stay tuned for more on this blog, and be sure to visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.