Revolutionizing Independence: The Longitude Prize on Dementia
In anticipation of the Longitude Prize on Dementia in March, The Innovation Platform spoke with Ruth Dixon, Programme Lead at Challenge Works, about the five finalists and technology-based tools developed to help individuals with dementia maintain their independence at home.
The Longitude Prize on Dementia (https://dementia.longitudeprize.org/) is a £4.4 million prize aimed at driving the creation of personalized, technology-based tools co-created with people living with dementia, enabling them to maintain their independence at home.
Since 2024, five finalists have been supported in developing new assistive technologies, with the grand prize of £1 million set to be awarded in March 2026.
Dementia, a progressive condition, currently lacks a cure. Research indicates that transitioning to unfamiliar hospital or care home environments can accelerate the progression of dementia symptoms (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197457221000859). Assistive technology can significantly contribute to individuals staying safe and independent in their homes for extended periods.
The Longitude Prize on Dementia has incentivized and supported the development of five technologies, leveraging the latest advancements in technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, to offer personalized support for individuals living with dementia.
Each technology has been co-designed with people living with dementia to ensure it meets their diverse needs and addresses the challenges associated with living with the condition.
AI-driven technology holds the potential to alleviate the emotional and economic burdens of care. The cost of dementia in the UK is estimated at £42 billion annually (https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-influencing/dementia-scale-impact-numbers) (as of 2024), with individuals living with dementia and their families bearing the majority of these costs.
Despite the finalists developing distinct solutions, they share a common goal: helping individuals with dementia stay in their homes for longer, continue engaging in fulfilling daily activities, and maintain social interactions.
Challenges of Maintaining Independence for Individuals with Dementia
With 50 million people worldwide living with dementia, many are all too familiar with the devastating impact of the condition, leading to the loss of memories, relationships, and identity. Three-quarters (76%) (https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/reports/survey-lived-experiences-dementia) of those affected by dementia report that it negatively impacts their ability to perform tasks independently, engage in hobbies (67%) (https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/reports/survey-lived-experiences-dementia), and maintain self-confidence (64%) (https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/policy-and-influencing/reports/survey-lived-experiences-dementia).
Remaining independent at home is crucial for individuals with dementia, as it preserves their dignity, identity, and sense of purpose while reducing stress and anxiety through familiar surroundings.
It enables them to maintain daily routines and cognitive function for longer by living in a comfortable environment with known, consistent layouts.
However, the experiences of those living with dementia can vary significantly, and individual needs may change over time. This is why the Longitude Prize on Dementia has prioritized involving people with lived experience of dementia at every stage, co-creating solutions tailored to individuals with early-stage dementia and leveraging adaptive AI technology to support their evolving needs.
AUTONOMOUS: A Wearable Solution
AUTONOMOUS is a kitchen-based sensor system designed to help individuals maintain their independence after a dementia diagnosis. Developed by a team at Associação Fraunhofer Portugal Research in Porto, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University and LUCA School of Arts, it connects with a smart watch worn by the person living with dementia to remind them of routines or check on forgotten tasks, such as leaving the stove on or a tap running.
The system employs cameras, microphones, and AI trained on Large Visual Models (similar to the visual equivalent of ChatGPT) to understand the person's house and routines. To protect privacy, the system connects and runs from a small computer in the user's home, ensuring data stays within the home.
The visual design of the sensor system is sleek and modern, with customizable colors and designs that can be adapted and personalized, even used as a vase for flowers, giving individuals living with dementia a sense of ownership over the system in their home.
CrossSense: Smart Glasses for Daily Tasks
CrossSense is an AI companion developed for smart glasses, designed to assist individuals with dementia in performing daily tasks. It analyzes the environment, listens to instructions, and learns the sequence of activities. By asking gentle questions, CrossSense's AI companion, Wispy, understands and learns the unique way of doing things for each individual.
The glasses capture the environment, and the AI interprets this information to help individuals perform tasks that define independence, such as making a cup of tea, getting dressed, managing household tools safely, or interacting with loved ones.
The interactive and talkative AI companion provides cognitive stimulation, encouraging individuals to think, talk, and imagine, which helps maintain neural connections, improve quality of life, and slow cognitive decline.
The technology is designed to enhance the user's life without interfering, by utilizing multi-sensory processing principles, the brain's ability to integrate input from multiple senses, essential for daily tasks.
MemoryAid: Enhancing Communication and Accessibility
MemoryAid is a device that enables individuals living with dementia to stay connected with loved ones and manage regular tasks and reminders. It is designed to be user-friendly, even for those with limited technological experience.
Many individuals with dementia are over 65, and navigating mainstream devices purpose-built for younger users can be challenging. MemoryAid, reminiscent of a traditional telephone, allows users to make or answer video calls, respond to notifications, and complete tasks by simply picking up the phone, a familiar act from a lifetime of practice.
The solution can be personalized, with families and loved ones using a companion app to upload familiar voices, photos, and tasks, supported by recognizable on-screen prompts, helping individuals stay connected and complete tasks independently.
SenS2: Radar Technology for Behavior Monitoring
SenS2 is a monitoring system that uses radar technology and AI to recognize household routines. It appears as a discreet WiFi router, detecting movement in the home and using AI to understand 'normal' activities, ensuring privacy by not using cameras or microphones.
The radar technology enables the device to detect movement in adjacent rooms, eliminating the need for multiple sensors around the home.
SenS2 provides WhatsApp updates to family and caregivers, offering reassurance or alerts if unusual behavior is detected, allowing individuals living with dementia to maintain independence at home while ensuring help is available when needed.
Theora 360: Situational Awareness for Fall Prevention
Theora 360, embedded in a smartwatch, is designed to support individuals living with dementia in being mobile in and out of their homes with increased confidence. It uses situational awareness technology to detect falls and wandering episodes in real-time.
Individuals with dementia are twice as likely to experience falls (https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/dementia/first-hospitalised-falls-among-people-living-with/contents/summary?utm_source=chatgpt.com), and 60% of those with Alzheimer's Disease will experience at least one wandering event, increasing physical and psychological safety risks.
Falls and wandering can be distressing for individuals with dementia, leading to paranoia, agitation, and delirium. Severe outcomes from falls can result in hospitalization, further impacting health.
Theora 360 is the only smartwatch using Ultra Wide Band technology, similar to tracking footballs on a pitch, paired with unobtrusive sensors around the home, providing precise 360-degree radar-like movement detection.
The Clairvoyant Networks team developing TheoraCare is collaborating with Texas A&M University to enhance predictive capabilities, helping anticipate fall risks before incidents occur.
By reassuring wearers of help when needed, the technology empowers individuals with dementia to live safely and independently, maintaining their dignity and confidence.
Diverse Approaches, Common Goal
As a progressive neurodegenerative condition, dementia's effects vary widely among individuals and change over time. The solutions developed with the Longitude Prize on Dementia support diverse needs, from performing daily tasks and ensuring safety to providing cognitive stimulation and maintaining connections with loved ones.
Seven in ten (69%) people affected by dementia report negative impacts on their physical and mental health. While each finalist addresses unique challenges, a common theme emerges: all technologies help individuals with dementia live independently at home for longer.
Remaining at home, in a comfortable environment with a known and consistent layout, can help maintain daily routines, feelings of safety, and cognitive function, potentially slowing the condition's progression.
Each innovation has been co-created with people with lived experience of dementia, who reviewed designs and provided advice on enabling independent living. A Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) has offered insights to judges, ensuring lived experience is integral to governance across the prize.
Projected Trends and Societal Impact
In the UK, around one million people live with dementia, projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040 as the population ages. One in three individuals born today will develop dementia in their lifetime, with increasing costs to the taxpayer. Dementia currently costs the UK £42 billion annually and will exceed £90 billion by 2040 without urgent action.
Globally, a new dementia case arises every three seconds, with over 55 million people currently living with the condition, expected to reach 139 million by 2050.
The impact extends beyond those with dementia. One in three people will care for a person with dementia in their lifetime, and over 50% of caregivers report health issues due to their responsibilities. NHS England estimates around 540,000 dementia carers in England, with half employed and 66,000 reducing working hours, while 50,000 have left work entirely.
Advancements in technology will play a crucial role in supporting individuals with dementia, enhancing safety, independence, and quality of life. As digital health and adaptive AI technologies evolve, more personalized support and proactive, intuitive, and compassionate care approaches will be developed, allowing those with dementia to maintain independence and live confidently at home for longer.
