Demonstration Test to Start in Obu City on System Using Utility Poles for Watching Over Wandering Seniors Suffering from Dementia

Nagoya Institute of Technology (Showa-ku, Nagoya City; President: Hiroyuki Ukai, "NITech") and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (Headquarters: Higashi-ku, Nagoya City; President & Director: Satoru Katsuno; "Chubu Electric Power") is proud to announce their decision of starting a demonstration test ("the demonstration test") in Obu City's Kyowanishi Autonomous Region from December 05 for "Mimamori Plus": a system using utility poles for watching over wandering seniors suffering from dementia.

In the demonstration test, stationary receivers in utility poles and smartphones will detect signals from radiowave transmitters carried around by collaborators. Using low-power wide-area (LPWA) network (Note 1) and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) (Note 2), which are communication technologies for the Internet of things (IoT), the person watching over the collaborator can check his/her smartphone or computer to see information on the collaborator's location. Furthermore, by accumulating the track of such information in a server and analyzing it with artificial intelligence (AI), NITech and Chubu Electric Power will strive to develop a model that detects seniors' wandering behaviors caused by dementia. (Note 3)

NITech developed Mimamori Plus as a groundbreaking effort for solving issues inherent in an aging society. Since FY2014, the engineering college has been conducting demonstration tests for searching wandering senior citizens in Obu City.

In this demonstration test, too, NITech will run the Mimamori Plus system and analyze extracted data as a key administrator. By doing so, they will verify the usability of stationary receivers installed in utility poles, thereby leveraging that data in research and development efforts geared toward systems for watching over wandering seniors suffering from dementia, the number of whom are increasing every year.

Striving to expand business areas and to create new value, Chubu Electric Power is working to make advanced use of utility poles that harness information and communication technology (ICT) equipment.

Chubu Electric Power will install stationary receivers in utility poles and provide infrastructure needed for this demonstration test, in turn acquiring knowledge of communication technology and taking advantage of that in developing new utility pole-based regional services.

[Mimamori Plus demonstration test (overview)]

(Note 1) Short for low-power wide-area network. This is a wireless communication method that offers low power consumption, a wide transmission area, and low transmission terminal prices by limiting transmission speed to low levels

(Note 2) Short for Bluetooth low energy. This is a name for version 4.0 of Bluetooth, a transmission standard for wireless exchanges of data over relatively short ranges.

(Note 3) Part of this study is conducted in connection with the ICT Promotion R&D development project carried forward by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Strategic Information and Communications R&D Promotion Programme (SCOPE).