Antwerp (Belgium) – 11 January 2021 – Innovations will be presented at the CES technology fair this week. Nobi, a Belgian startup,
will be presenting its smart lamp, which will be available for purchase by the end of 2021, for the first time. The intelligent
lamp monitors older people who live alone so that they can live independently for longer without a care in the world. You can
hang Nobi in a private home or a service flat. With the help of artificial intelligence, the lamp detects when you fall and ensures
that help is provided. Nobi offers a solution to a global problem: falls by older people. One in three people over 65 fall at least
once a year, and 66% of them are injured seriously1. Offering help as quickly as possible is crucial. After all, falls are the most
important cause of fatal injuries, and 50% of the elderly who lay on the floor for longer than one hour die within six months of the
fall2.
Nobi monitors older people
Our population is getting older, and more elderly people need
assistance and care. Roeland Pelgrims, co-founder of Nobi: “Nobi’s
mission is to help the elderly live at home on their own as long as
possible without a care in the world. That’s the wish of many
people over 65. That’s why we designed Nobi as a lamp that feels
familiar in every interior. Nobi monitors older adults and provides
communication between the resident and family members or
caregivers. This really provides peace of mind.” First and foremost,
Nobi focuses on fall prevention with smart lighting and risk
prevention. If a resident does fall, the intelligent lamp notices this
immediately, asks if everything is okay and calls family members in
cases of emergency. If necessary, the emergency services are
notified, and Nobi opens the door for them. In addition to fall
prevention and fall detection, Nobi also ensures safety and quality
of life by monitoring air quality and providing fire and burglary
detection. It can even share a photo and call family members and
friends.
Nobi’s journey
The Nobi team started working on the concept in 2018, and the finished product will be available for purchase by the end of
- The lamp is currently being tested and trained in residential care centres and service flats. Nobi stands out due to its
simple and timeless design. It recently won two Henry van de Velde design awards in the categories “Business Innovation” and
“Consumer”.
Figures about falls by people over 65
- One in three people over 65 fall at least once a year and the number of falls increases as they get older3.
- 50% of the elderly who end up laying on the floor for longer than one hour die within six months of the fall4.
- In the US every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult
dies from a fall.5 - 95% of the older people who live independently possess an alarm button but it is not used in 80% of their falls (not in
the vicinity, in panic and didn’t have the reflex to use it)6.
1 WHO https://www.who.int/ageing/projects/falls_prevention_older_age/en/
2 Research AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians) Falls in the Elderly
3 https://www.who.int/ageing/projects/falls_prevention_older_age/en/
4Research AAFP (American Academy of Family Physicians) Falls in the Elderly
5 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
6 https://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a2227 - The WHO7 estimates that the medical costs associated with falls by people over 65 will be $240 billion per year
worldwide by 2040.
About the Nobi lamp
• 24/7 monitoring: Nobi works without batteries and is alert at any time of the day.
• Discreet: unobtrusively present in the form of a lamp.
• No adjustments needed indoors: easy installation and no need for new cables. The ceiling light is simply replaced by
Nobi or Nobita (the smaller version that’s also suitable for humid rooms like the bathroom).
• Privacy: Nobi smart lamps are equipped with a powerful processor that allows the images to be analysed in the lamp
without being sent to the cloud. The lamps only communicate events such as falls, burglaries and smoke detection. The
option to share images in case of emergency is determined by the resident. He/she also decides who has access to their
data and alerts.
• In addition to fall detection, the Nobi smart lamps can also prevent falls, detect fire, monitor the air quality, detect
burglary and recognise patterns.
Availability and price
• Available for consumers by the end of 2021
• Price: you can equip an average apartment with Nobi from $2490 * if you purchase smart lamps for every room. A
monthly care subscription of $19* is also required. If you prefer to rent, this will cost about $119 per month* lamps and
the care subscription are included.
