GPS Shoes to Track Alzheimer's Patients
Footwear would keep stricken seniors from wandering
By CAITLIN MILLAT
Updated 3:43 PM EST, Mon, Jun 8, 2009
Shoes equipped with GPS tracking could keep Alzheimer's patients safe, and give their loved ones peace of mind.
The footwear is being developed by a tech company and a shoemaker and will feature an embedded GPS device built into the shoes, Agence France Presse reported.
The new technology would locate the individual within 30 feet of where they stand, anywhere on the planet, researchers claim.
Tech company GTX and shoemaker Aetrex Worldwide are teaming up to create the shoes, designed to prevent seniors from "critical wandering incidents" that could lead to them getting lost -- or worse.
Alerts are sent to the cell phone or e-mail of a loved one if the Alzheimer's patient wanders outside a programmed boundary wearing the shoes.
"The shoe we intend on developing with Aetrex should help authorized family members, friends or caretakers reduce their stress and anguish by enabling them to locate their loved ones instantly with the click of a mouse," said Chris Walsh, chief operating officer of GTX Corp.
The companies said the product should begin its testing phase at the end of the year.
First Published: Jun 8, 2009 11:18 AM EST
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