Eurêka – Wavecom and Owasys have got it
Wavecom and Owasys Advanced Wireless Devices are delighted to have been awarded, at the last Eurêka Ministerial Conference in Paris on 18 June 2004, the Eurêka label for their project of mobile remote assistance terminals. This label rewards the innovative solutions developed jointly by the two European companies: a set of mobile remote assistance terminals intended for the elderly or people with physical or mental disabilities.
The importance of remote assistance services was demonstrated during the heat wave last summer, which raised European awareness of the need for surveillance and monitoring of elderly people due to their isolation. Remote assistance services are today mainly available in the home, whereas people who need remote services would also benefit from them when away from home.
The wireless terminals developed by Wavecom and Owasys are unique in the market, and enable improvement in the quality of life for these people by offering:
· rapid access to an assistance and control centre
· an easy-to-use dedicated button for emergency calls
· user localisation using GPS positioning
· remote checking of the physiological state of the user, with this data being sent directly to a medical centre or a doctor
· increased stand-by and communication time
· superior hearing quality due to high-volume sound
The project includes the development of a family of terminals of which the first product is the Owasys112C, based on Wavecom’s WISMO Quik Q2406 wireless module.
“Eurêka encourages cooperation between European companies, a source of technological innovations which can, as in this case, improve the quality of life for people,” says Pierre Piver, Vice President of Wavecom’s Vertical Applications business unit. “We are proud to receive the Eurêka label, which recognizes not only the innovative aspect, but also the economic viability and the social value of the project.”
“Our first user-adapted telephone, the “talking telephone” intended for the blind and visually-impaired, was developed jointly with Wavecom, and launched in 2003. Its success shows that there is a real demand in the market for products customized for users who have specific needs,” adds Fernando Aguirre, Marketing and Sales Director of Owasys. “More than 100,000 people are users of home teleassistance services in Spain only, and we are confident that this new mobile teleassistance terminal will appeal to a wide range of users.”