NEW START SCOTLAND 2018 - 5K PITCH COMPETITION

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Category: Blog

Published on Thursday, 08 November 2018 14:37

Written by Mike Reynolds

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GETTING SMART AT HOME COULD EASE BURDEN OF AGEING SOCIETY

Aberdeenshire husband and wife team develop first-of-its-kind affordable and accessible smart home technology aimed at giving the elderly at least 5 more years in their own homes

A start-up from the North East of Scotland is looking for a New Start Scotland boost as it looks to launch its new smart home technology aimed at keeping the elderly in their own homes for as long as possible.   

TL Tech, based in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, was launched in 2018 by husband and wife team Thomas and Caroline Laurenson. It aims to provide unobtrusive, affordable and accessible smart home solutions to elderly people, their families and carers to allow people to live in their own homes with independence.

TL Tech has entered New Start Scotland’s £5K pitch competition, where budding entrepreneurs get five minutes to pitch a business idea to a panel of expert judges and the winner will receive £20, 000 worth of business services including a lump sum of £5,000 cash.

Caroline explains: “We have entered the New Start Scotland competition as we believe we have a unique business idea that could make a real difference to people’s daily lives. We all know about smart technology, and it is very much thought of as something which is nice to have but not essential. However, for the elderly or disabled, it could really be the difference between them remaining in their own homes or being forced to move into residential care .

“The UK’s ageing population is a huge concern for the government, and this is why it has been included as one of its Grand Challenges. The UK care sector is already struggling to cope, and this problem is about to get far far worse over the next 20 years. At the heart of our project is the desire to give people support to enable them to live more independently and improve their quality of life, this directly mirrors the statements made in the mission brief to ‘ensure that people can enjoy at least 5 extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035’.”  

“While there is cutting edge research into home based aids for elderly people and those with health conditions or impairments, this is focused on expensive new technology that may not be suited to the traditional home set-up and would result in significant disruption to install. At the other end of the scale there are products that provide functions like door bells, cameras and motion/fall sensors, however these are discrete systems that all operate with different controls and the individual cost of each can soon build up.

“What we are offering is completely different. Our vision is to provide tailored smart home technology in people’s homes to allow them to interact with their families and the devices that they already have. It’s not about having a home of the future, it’s about being in your home, now. Your home to enjoy, where you feel comfortable and safe. Our system integrates seamlessly with traditional systems, it can be easily modified and upgraded as needs change and can all be monitored and controlled through a single interface. The system design and technology is simple and straight forward with the focus instead being on adapting and programming exactly the right functionality for the end users accessibility requirements.

Caroline adds: “We are now looking for funding so we can do more testing and further develop our unique software platform which controls the smart technology. It’s our plan to install the hardware in some homes free of charge, which would allow for more extensive user testing, and then use this information to further develop a more advanced software platform to enhance user functionality and data security.”

Ceri Rogers, managing director of New Start Scotland, comments: “The 5k pitch competition has been set up to help businesses like TL Tech; who have a great business idea but need assistance to get it off the ground. As well as the competition, the fantastic line-up of speakers, seminars, networking opportunities at New Start Scotland 2018 will give new businesses all the information and advice they need to move forward.”

The New Start Scotland exhibition and the Scottish Business Exhibition takes place on the 21st & 22nd November 2018, from 10am - 4pm daily, at the SEC in Glasgow.

For more information on how to exhibit, or to register for a free ticket, visit https://www.newstartscotland.com/.

About New Start Scotland:

For 17 years, the New Start Scotland Exhibition has helped ten's of thousands of budding entrepreneurs turn their dream business into a reality. Whether you have a business idea which needs some help to get up and running or you've recently started a new business which you're looking to grow, New Start Scotland has everything you need under one roof. You'll be able to network with thousands of other entrepreneurs and business owners from around Scotland, find cost-effective suppliers and support networks and get access to top quality advice from experts in a diverse range of seminars and workshops.

Edesix supplies North East paramedics with body worn cameras as attacks rise

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Category: Blog

Published on Tuesday, 23 October 2018 10:36

Written by Mike Reynolds

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The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has become the first in the country to trial body cams to counter attacks on paramedics. The body worn cameras will be supplied by UK-based market leaders Edesix (www.edesix.com).

In the last year reports of physical assaults on paramedics in the region have increased by 23 per cent compared to last year. Forty emergency NEAS staff will have access to the body cams when on calls and if an incident unfolds they can record both vision and sound, which can later be used as evidence if a prosecution is pursued.

This story was recently featured on ITV -  https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2018-10-19/north-east-paramedics-to-wear-body-cams-as-attacks-rise/

PUT HUMAN HEALTH FIRST IN BUSINESS AND REAP THE BENEFITS

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Category: Blog

Published on Wednesday, 31 October 2018 10:03

Written by Mike Reynolds

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Human health is key to unlocking business performance: Victoria Anderson, clinical director at Better Humans Technology, recently told the Strategic HR Review how this can be achieved. 

At the top of every Director’s priority list is to find new ways to unlock their company’s business potential. Every strategic meeting is centred around this question – and of course, there is no simple answer. However, a good start is to ensure the people who make your company tick are looked after, both in mind and in body. Yes business health is important, but it cannot be placed in front of actual human health. 

Read the rest of the article here: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/SHR-08-2018-130

SECURITY MIDDLE EAST - INTERVIEW EDESIX'S RICHIE MCBRIDE

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Category: Blog

Published on Monday, 08 October 2018 10:49

Written by Mike Reynolds

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Body-worn camera specialist Edesix have already delivered their solutions to the Dubai Police. Now a growing interest in their products in the region as seen this fast-growing security tech company open a regional office and partner with leading VMS solution providers, Milestone and Genetec. Security Middle East recently spoke with managing director Richie McBride about Edesix's future plans.... read the interview here: http://securitymiddleeastmag.com/interview-richie-mcbride-edesix/