Ahead of The Longitude Prize on Dementia in March, The Innovation Platform heard from 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 is a £4.4m prize to drive the creation of personalised, technology-based tools that are co-created with people living with dementia, helping them to maintain their independence at home.
Since 2024, five finalists have been supported to develop new assistive technologies, with the £1m grand prize to be awarded in March 2026.
Dementia is a progressive condition, and there is currently no cure. We know that going into a hospital or a care home that is unfamiliar can speed up the progression of people’s dementia symptoms. Assistive technology can help people stay safe and independent in their homes for longer.
The Longitude Prize on Dementia has incentivised and supported the creation of five technologies that use the latest advances in technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to provide personalised support for people living with dementia.
Through the prize, each technology has been co-designed with people living with dementia to ensure they meet their diverse needs and address the diverse challenges of living with the condition.
AI-driven technology has the potential to alleviate the emotional and economic demands of care; the cost of dementia in the UK is estimated at £42bn per year (as of 2024), with people living with the condition and their families shouldering the bulk of the costs.
While the finalists have developed very different solutions, they share the common goals of helping people living with dementia to stay in their homes for longer, continue doing fulfilling daily activities, and maintain social interactions.
What challenges do individuals with dementia face in maintaining their independence?
With 50 million worldwide living with dementia, far too many of us are familiar with just how devastating the condition can be, causing a series of losses – of memories, relationships, and identity. Three quarters (76%) of people affected by dementia say it negatively impacts their ability to carry out tasks independently, their hobbies (67%) and their self-confidence (64%).
Remaining independent at home supports people living with dementia by preserving their dignity, identity, and sense of purpose while reducing stress and anxiety through familiar surroundings.
It allows them to maintain daily routines and cognitive function for longer by living in a comfortable environment with known, consistent layouts.
Yet the experiences of those living with dementia can vary greatly, and individual needs can change over time. This is why the Longitude Prize on Dementia has made sure to involve people with lived experience of dementia at every stage, co-creating solutions to ensure they are developed with and for people with early-stage dementia, and leveraging adaptive AI technology that supports their changing needs over time.
Can you provide an introduction to AUTONOMOUS? In what ways do wearable devices like AUTONOMOUS aim to support individuals with dementia?
AUTONOMOUS is a kitchen-based sensor system that helps them maintain their independence after a dementia diagnosis. It has been 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 things they may have forgotten, like leaving the stove on, a tap running, or the fridge open. This discreet security is the enabler of independence, allowing the user to confidently maintain their cherished routines and their right to autonomy.
The system uses cameras, microphones, and AI trained on Large Visual Models (think of it like the visual equivalent of ChatGPT) to understand a person’s house and routines. To protect the individual’s privacy, the system connects and runs from a small computer that remains in the user’s home rather than on the cloud – meaning the data used by AUTONOMOUS stays in the home.
The visual design of the sensor system is an important aspect, designed to look sleek and modern, with colours to suit different tastes, and designs that can be adapted and personalised to be used as a vase for flowers. This gives the person living with dementia ownership over the system that is in their home.
CrossSense’s smart glasses assist those with dementia in performing daily tasks through AI assistance. Can you elaborate on the project and how it can support people with dementia in various ways?
CrossSense is an AI companion, developed for smart glasses – it sees what you see, listens to what you tell it, and learns where you are in the sequence of an activity. By asking gentle questions, CrossSense’s AI companion, called Wispy, understands and learns a person’s unique way of doing things.
The glasses capture the environment of the person living with dementia, and the AI interprets that information to help people do the things that define independence.
It identifies everyday objects and guides people living with dementia through daily activities. That includes 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 to get people thinking, talking, and imagining, which helps to maintain neural connections, improve quality of life, and slow cognitive decline.
The technology is designed to augment the user’s life, not get in the way of living, by harnessing the principles of multi-sensory processing – the brain’s ability to integrate input from multiple senses, essential for daily tasks.
How does MemoryAid enhance communication for individuals with dementia, and what elements make it accessible to users who may have difficulty with technology?
MemoryAid enables people living with dementia to remain connected with their loved ones and manage regular tasks and reminders in one easy-to-use device.
Most people with dementia are over the age of 65 and for many, navigating mainstream devices that are purpose-built for younger users remains challenging.
Many devices also require dexterous movements like swiping, tapping, or clicking small digital buttons to complete actions, something difficult for many people, not to mention those living with neurodegenerative conditions.
MemoryAid is reminiscent of a traditional telephone with a brightly coloured handset resting on top. To make or answer a video call from a loved one, or respond to pre-set notifications and reminders, the user simply picks up the phone, a familiar act from a lifetime of practice.
The solution can be personalised to different individuals. Alongside the person living with dementia, families and loved ones can use a companion app to upload familiar voices, photos, and tasks that will be supported by recognisable on-screen prompts that help them to stay connected with those around them and complete tasks independently.
SenS2 detects unusual behaviour within the home. How does the radar technology used in SenS2 monitor movement patterns within a home? How will this support those with dementia in maintaining their independence, and what kind of alerts are sent to caregivers?
SenS2 is a monitoring system that uses radar technology and AI to recognise the routine in a household. Looking like a discreet WiFi router, it recognises movement in the home and employs AI to build an understanding of what ‘normal’ activities consist of – no cameras, no microphones, just routine to ensure privacy is protected.
The radar technology allows the box to detect movement in adjacent rooms, meaning there’s no need to connect a system of multiple sensors around the home.
SenS2 provides WhatsApp updates to family and caregivers, either providing reassurance (‘Dad is up and about and the heating is on’) or an alert if it detects unusual behaviour (‘It looks like Mum got up six times in the night’).
This way, the person living with dementia can live independently at home but has the reassurance that help will be there if needed. Family and caregivers can have confidence that the person they care about is well, reducing the need for constant check-ins or feeling like they are being overbearing.
What situational awareness capabilities does Theora 360™ provide to help caregivers manage fall risks and wandering behaviours in individuals with dementia?
Embedded in a smartwatch, Theora 360 is designed to support people living with dementia to be mobile in and outside of their home with more confidence, using situational awareness technology to detect falls and wandering episodes in real time.
People living with dementia are twice as likely to experience a fall, and 60% of people living with Alzheimer’s Disease will experience at least one wandering event, putting their physical and psychological safety at higher risk.
Falls and wandering can be particularly distressing for those living with dementia, as being lost or having injuries they cannot remember sustaining can increase feelings of paranoia, agitation and delirium. Those living with dementia are also more likely to experience severe outcomes as a result of a fall, leading to hospitalisation, which itself can have further adverse impacts on health.
Theora 360 is the only smartwatch of its kind to use Ultra Wide Band technology – the same technology used to track footballs around a pitch – paired with unobtrusive sensors around the home to provide precise 360-degree radar-like movement detection.
The team from Clairvoyant Networks that has developed TheoraCare is currently working with Texas A&M University to develop predictive capabilities that will help to anticipate fall risk before an incident occurs.
By reassuring the wearer that help would be there when they need it, the technology provides those living with dementia with greater confidence to live their everyday lives safely with independence and dignity.
Encouraging users to stay active and engaged with the community can help to prevent sundowning and agitation that is associated with a sedentary lifestyle, and overall boost quality of life.
How do the different approaches of the five finalists reflect the diverse needs of people living with dementia, and what unique contributions do each technology bring to supporting independence and quality of life?
As a progressive neurodegenerative condition, the effects of dementia can vary greatly from person to person and change over time. As the needs of those living with dementia vary, so too do the solutions that have been created with the support of the Longitude Prize on Dementia.
Each of the innovative technologies that have been developed into working products utilises adaptive technologies that can adjust to meet the needs of the individual user as their illness progresses.
The solutions developed by the five finalists support a wide range of needs: from helping to perform usual daily tasks and keeping users safe when on the move, to providing cognitive stimulation and maintaining connection with loved ones.
Seven in ten (69%) people affected by dementia report it to have a negative impact on their physical and mental health. While each of the contributions of the five finalists addresses unique challenges that people living with dementia face, there remains a common theme amongst them: each helps people living with dementia to live independently at home for longer. Being able to continue to live life as they always have and do the things that provide them with purpose and joy, helps people living with dementia to feel fulfilled, preserving their dignity, identity and autonomy while reducing stress and anxiety through familiar surroundings.
Remaining at home – in a comfortable environment with a known and consistent layout – can help to maintain daily routine, feelings of safety, and cognitive function for longer, actually slowing the progress of the condition for some.
Each of the innovations has been co-created with people with lived experience of dementia who have reviewed designs, ideas, and given advice on how the technologies could better enable independent living. A Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) made up of people living with dementia, carers, and former carers has provided insight to the judges to ensure lived experience plays a key role in governance across the prize.
What are the projected trends in dementia prevalence in the UK over the next two decades, and how might that impact society?
Around a million people in the UK live with dementia, a number projected to increase to 1.4 million by 2040 as our population ages. Of those born today, one in three will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime, with increasing cost to the taxpayer. Dementia currently costs the UK £42bn per year and will more than double to £90bn by 2040 unless urgent action is taken.
This is a global issue; a new case of dementia arises somewhere in the world every three seconds, with more than 55 million people currently estimated to be living with the condition. This number is set to rise to 139 million by 2050.
The impact is not only felt by those who develop dementia, however. It is estimated that one in three people will care for a person with dementia in their lifetime, and globally, over 50% of carers believe their health has suffered as a result of their caring responsibilities. According to NHS England, there are around 540,000 carers of people with dementia in England alone. Half of those carers are employed, and it is thought that some 66,000 people have already cut their working hours to care for a family member, while 50,000 people have left work altogether.
Advancements in technology will play an increasingly important role in supporting people living with dementia, helping to enhance safety, independence, and quality of life. As the digital health landscape and adaptive AI technologies continue to evolve, we will unlock more possibilities to personalise support and develop more proactive, intuitive, and compassionate approaches to care that allow those living with dementia to maintain their independence and live confidently at home for longer.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 25th edition of our quarterly publication.
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