Navigil launched in September 2014 a brand new wearable mobile personal safety solution for the Finnish and UK markets. The innovative solution consists of three elements:
o world’s smallest wristwatch format telecare/telehealth device (S1) with GSM phone, GNSS location and wireless sensor features
o mobile subscription services with industry benchmark help request call routing and reachability service (part of Rafael)
o core location and management service with an easy to use web browser user interface (Rafael)
This Navigil solution for the first time in the market offers to elderly persons a stylish telecare device that they don’t have to be ashamed to wear and that they can use to call for help in emergency situations anywhere. For the first time caregivers have an easy to use way to share the workload of receiving help request calls and to locate missing persons suffering from dementia.
Navigil S1 telecare wristwatch and Rafael service are the only complete solution in the market – none of the competitive offerings meet all of the requirements of industrial design, device feature, integrated mobile operator grade call routing service, ease of use and affordable cost.
Navigil is aggressively seeking to expand its solution’s international coverage in markets where the ratio of elderly personnel is high in comparison with the rest of the population. According to United Nation’s study World Population Ageing 2013, Japan, Italy and Germany have worst ratios and face the most difficult challenges on availability of elderly care resources. Navigil has already conducted a feasibility study in Italy. Japan and Germany were chosen due to increasingly ageing populations and due to well-known issue with lack of elderly care resources. Rest of EU-25, China and USA are next planned areas of international expansion.
The NASTEX (NAvigil STudy on EXpansion) study is required to validate the target market size, optimum route to market and match of required versus current solution features in the target market. Successful execution increases Navigil’s ability to invest in further development and manufacturing resources within EU.
Navigil’s objective is to alleviate the elderly care resource issue by providing ICT based solutions that enable individual caregivers to effectively participate in the care of an elderly person. This will reduce the pressure on municipal sheltered care and lifeline call centre resources. If the move of an elderly person to sheltered care can be postponed by mere three days, the Navigil solution has been paid for.
The second objective of Navigil is to alleviate the availability of municipal medical resources. The possibility to get help within the golden hour in trauma events significantly reduces the number of days spent in a hospital. Similarly the possibility to remotely diagnose an elderly person using wireless sensors can reduce the number of visits to a doctor or to a nurse by up to 50%.
The financial objective is to ensure that the international market expansion is successfully executed.
NASTEX Objectives
The objective of the NASTEX project is to conduct a feasibility study in Germany and Japan in order to find out required input for business viability assessment and for development of a business plan for each country. The data elements required include:
o geographic demographic information
o current market conditions including competitive solution status
o validated customer requirement
o route to market options
o mobile network operators (if roaming SIM does not meet the customer requirements)
Due to the nature of the telecare/telehealth business a local partner with a 24/7 call centre is required. Such a partner has trained staff that can answer help request calls and that in the event medical assistance is required can assess what type of help is required and the urgency of such assistance.
The interim result of the NASTEX project is a feasibility study report for these two markets. The final result of the NASTEX project is a business plan including metrics for investments required, revenue and volume forecasts and assessment of critical success factors for the target market.
