The start-up is led by Prof. Vinny Wade, Chair of AI at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College and former Director of the Adapt Research Center.
Amethyst Care, based at Trinity College Dublin, is developing an AI-powered voice assistant for people with reduced mobility and has received more than €500,000 from Enterprise Ireland.
Amethyst Care is based at the university’s Adapt centre, a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centre for AI-driven digital content technology. The aim of the programme is to identify early signs of cognitive decline and enable timely interventions that can delay or alleviate the symptoms of cognitive disease. The idea is to help those affected live independently at home for longer.
The funds were raised through the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Programme, which supports university-level researchers to translate their research findings into innovative and commercially viable products, services and businesses.
Amethyst Care is led by Prof Vinny Wade, Chair of AI in the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College and former Director of Adapt.
Wade said the startup will combine innovative cutting-edge generative AI techniques with personalization technology to provide a voice-based companion to help older people live more easily at home or in assisted living facilities.
“The GenAI (generative AI) voice-based assistant will provide continuous care support as well as daily companionship and voice assistance,” he said.
According to the team, such technology is particularly useful for people who suffer from tremors and other mobility problems and for whom conventional devices pose a challenge due to limited fine motor skills.
“Our goal is to address key issues facing patients, caregivers and the healthcare system, including loneliness, medication management, cognitive decline, caregiver stress and shortages of healthcare professionals,” says Rebecca McManus, entrepreneur and commercial director of the start-up.
“This funding from Enterprise Ireland will significantly advance our efforts and enable us to expand our team and prepare for full commercialisation over the next 18 months.”
The AI-powered voice assistant’s features include continuous monitoring of vital signs, medication and appointment reminders, emergency alerts in case of accidents, memory improvement tools, and real-time notifications for family and healthcare professionals.
Diseases such as Parkinson’s and early dementia are steadily increasing worldwide. The number of cases has doubled in the last 30 years. According to the World Health Organization, around 55 million people live with dementia – 10 million new cases are added every year.
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