Thing
Everyone wants to grow old in their own home. We deploy robots that help older people at home with safety and communication to support healthy ageing.
Category: Hardware
Everyone wants to grow old in their own home. Thing deploys robots that help elderly people age at home more safely and for longer. We combine supervisory features, like fall-detection and 24/7 care support, with easy connections to their primary care network.
Older users can easily reach carers, friends & family members via our robot’s interface. We also encourage engagement with communities and peers, allowing users to discover and join groups that interest them. With Thing, older people retain independence and everyone benefits from the peace of mind and security of connected care at home.
We apply the lean startup method in two ways. The first involves removing the need to manufacture robots to reach the market. We do this by buying suitable telepresence robots and retrofitting them with additional hardware and our own proprietary software — much simpler and cheaper than building our own from scratch. The second way is just by being as close to customers as possible. We work with older people, their families and caregivers to develop solutions that really support older people at home.
As a team we’ve worked together for over 4 years, when Fernando and Dan were part of a European Union project to train entrepreneurs. Their startup in healthcare didn’t last, but soon after the pair joined Ben in researching and publishing at The M Tank (https://themtank.org/).
MTank was a project the three cofounded to explore artificial intelligence and robotics developments. Ben and Dan are school friends from Ireland and once played in a moderately successful band together. Our team blends startup experience, deep technical skills, and trust between old friends with experience in pursuing the same goals.