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The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute said on Thursday it has developed a mobile phone system for elderly people that can sense if they have fallen and inform family and medical providers.
When a sensor carried on a belt detects a sudden movement like a fall, a mobile phone sends a signal to a computer in a hospital. The computer then calls the phone to check if the person is hurt. If the person needs assistance, the computer reports the fact to the hospital's emergency center and the person's family.
The phone is equipped with GPS (global positioning system) technology, making it possible to check where the accident took place. ETRI transferred the technology to communications companies last month and it expects the system will be available next year.
ETRI's Bioinformatics Team leader Park Soo-jun said, "When the size of the sensor is reduced, seniors will be able to carry it in the form of a belt buckle or a brooch. They'll be able to download a program that senses the signal from the sensor to any mobile phone they're using."
The system could also work in nursing homes and hospitals equipped with the Internet, where users would have to carry only the sensor and not a mobile phone, Park said.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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