A Bristol entrepreneur who has developed 'smart socks' that are able to track rising distress in the wearer is hoping to improve the wellbeing of millions of people with his invention.
Dr Zeke Steer quit his job and took a PhD at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, which is jointly run by the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol, so he could find a way to help people with dementia, non-verbal autism and other conditions that affect communication.
His Milbotix smart socks track heart rate, sweat levels and motion to give insights on the wearer’s wellbeing, including how anxious the person is feeling. According to Dr Steer, they look and feel like normal socks, do not need charging, are machine washable and provide a steady stream of data to carers, who can easily see their patient’s metrics on an app.
Dr Steer said: “The foot is actually a great place to collect data about stress, and socks are a familiar piece of clothing that people wear every day. Our research shows that the socks can accurately recognise signs of stress – which could really help not just those with dementia and autism, but their carers too.”
Dr Steer was working as a software engineer in the defence industry when his great-grandmother, Kath, began showing the ill effects of dementia. He decided to investigate how wearable technologies and artificial intelligence could help with her symptoms.
During the research, he volunteered at a dementia care home operated by the St Monica Trust and hit upon the idea of Milbotix, which he launched as a business in February 2020.
The company is currently looking to work with social care organisations to refine and evaluate the smart socks before bringing the product to market next year. The business will begin a funding round later in 2022.
Milbotix will be supported by Alzheimer’s Society through its accelerator programme, which is helping fund the smart socks’ development, providing innovation support and helping test what it described as a “brilliant product”.
Natasha Howard-Murray, senior innovator at Alzheimer’s Society, added : “Some people with dementia may present behaviours such as aggression, irritability and resistance to care. This innovative wearable tech is a fantastic, accessible way for staff to better monitor residents’ distress and agitation.”
