[CES 2018] One of the dangers of the elderly living alone is that should they fall, it might be hard for them to get up and call for help. This is why we’re seeing companies come up with various hi-tech solutions that will either help to reduce that, or at least alert someone else should a fall occur.
At CES 2018, Helite has unveiled a set of wearable airbags called the Hip’Air which as the name suggests, will help protect the wearer from a fall, particularly in the hip area. Note that Helite isn’t a stranger when it comes to wearable airbags. The company has been selling similar products over the years, although typically they have been marketed to those who participate in dangerous activity or sports and might need the extra protection.
With the Hip’Air, it seems that Helite is branching out and offering its products to a different set of customers with different needs. With the device, Helite claims that it is capable of detecting the airbags within 200 milliseconds of a user falling, and will take an additional 80 milliseconds to deploy the built-in airbag.
From what we can tell based on other publications seeing a demo in person, it seems that the Hip’Air certainly works as advertised. The airbags will come with a built-in battery that will last a week and is designed to be reusable. It will be launched in Europe this spring where it will be priced at €600, and will arrive stateside in the fall.