20/05/2019 - All we hear is Radio Me!
Multi-million-pound project will see AI remixing radio help people living with dementia
Dementia effects the lives of 850,000 people in the UK, with numbers set to rise to 1 million by 2025 (Alzheimer’s Society, 2019). The importance of people suffering with dementia keeping hold of any independence in their daily lives cannot be overstated. The 2.7-million-pound project led by the University of Plymouth will use artificial intelligence to adapt and personalise live radio. The personalised radio will seamlessly “remix” live digital broadcasts with information, music and personalised reminders delivered by CereProc’s characterful voices. The engaging personalised reminders would include reminding the patient to take mediation, lock the door, to eat, to drink and many more. A bio-bracelet connected to Radio Me would also be used to measure heart rate and other physical signs to monitor the health of the patient. In addition, the patients daily electronic diary could be programmed by their carers or families to meet the individual requirements of the patient.
The NHS is under an immense amount of strain and this technology relieves this by addressing the key causes of hospital administration for dementia patents which is agitation and not taking medication correctly. Furthermore, the reminders using our voices allow the person suffering from dementia to live in their own home for longer maintaining a part of their identity and independence. Trials of Radio Me will begin in Cambridge and Sussex and will last approximately 50 months.
Colin Capper, Head of Research Development and Evaluation at Alzheimer’s Society, states:
“We need to harness technologies like artificial intelligence and we’re confident Radio Me will be a hit - it offers practical as well as personalised support, which is vital as everyone’s journey with dementia is different. We’re excited about what this project will reveal about the potential impact of technology on the lives of people with dementia.”
This project demonstrates how characterful Text-to-Speech can be integrated into innovative technology for the medical market to improve the quality of lives for individuals suffering from Dementia. CereProc is very proud to have worked together with the University of Plymouth on this project and look forward to seeing how Radio Me will change the world.