Automation solution provider Tashi Smartech is set to introduce Elfin Lite this month, which includes telecare, healthcare and various smart home functions which elderly residents can find useful.
Automation solution provider Tashi Smartech is set to introduce Elfin Lite this month, which includes telecare, healthcare and various smart home functions which elderly residents can find useful.
Tashi Smartech is a subsidiary of global corporation Unitech, whose core competency lies in making RFID and IP-based devices. The company has a partnership with Japanese medical equipment giant Omron, and has a long history of making measurement devices for hospitals.
With Elfin Lite, devices like digital thermometer and blood pressure monitor are equipped with instant data transmission, app monitoring and voice control capabilities. As such, residents can send health data like blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen saturation to medical facilities for preemptive health checkup. “This can save the elderly many trips to the hospital, where sometimes they go only to get some physical conditions checked.” said Tashi Smartech President Shelley Wu.
Similar solutions are already provided in western countries on a monthly subscription basis. Taiwan will follow in their footsteps, but at lower costs, Wu believes.
Elfin Lite also comes with the telecare functionality to enable two-way communication between a senior resident and medical staff on a television. In addition, to make life easier for a senior, voice control is added to simplify control of home devices. When a doorbell rings, for example, the resident can voice short commands like “answer,” “open the door” or “hang up” to control the device. A microphone remote is provided to receive audio input from the resident.
Smart gateway MT101 sits in the middle to relay wireless signals for various devices at home. It connects to a panel via HDMI and thus enables telecare, video door intercom and also Internet TV. It also has a microphone for audio input and speaker for audio output.
The gateway works with protocols like Zigbee, Bluetooth and Z-Wave, allowing it to talk to various devices at home, including lights, sensors, thermostat and washing machine, to name a few. In fact, the Elfin Lite solution also entails entertainment, access control and more smart functions.
Tashi customers consist of system integrators, elderly care villages, individual families and home constructors. “There is a craving demand and this is true for every country,” Wu said.
The Elfin Lite system is being pilot tested in Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia. The company is also talking with companies in Japan, which is more receptive to elderly care products and services, Wu pointed out.