We were delighted to see Milbotix and SmartSocks® featured on ITV Evening News earlier this month as part of a national feature exploring how technology can help people living with dementia remain independent for longer.
The report highlighted a growing generation of compassionate, evidence-based technologies designed to support people living with dementia and those who care for them. Alongside AI-powered assistive glasses developed by CrossSense, the feature showcased how SmartSocks® can provide continuous, unobtrusive monitoring of well-being through real-world physiological and movement data.
The ITV segment featured comments from Dr Byron Creese at Brunel University of London, who has been leading research involving SmartSocks® in care home environments. Speaking to ITV News, Dr Creese explained how physiological measures captured by SmartSocks® could help identify distress, agitation and increased fall risk in people living with dementia.
SmartSocks® was originally developed following research by Milbotix founder and CEO Dr Zeke Steer at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. The technology was designed specifically to address the limitations of wrist-worn wearables in dementia care, where devices are often poorly tolerated or removed by users. Instead, SmartSocks® embeds sensing technology into a familiar and comfortable form factor capable of measuring:
- pulse and pulse variability
- skin temperature
- electrodermal activity
- movement and gait patterns
The feature reflects growing national interest in how digital health technologies can support more proactive, person-centred care approaches for an ageing population. As ITV News highlighted, technologies such as SmartSocks® are increasingly being explored as tools to help maintain independence, improve wellbeing and support caregivers in real-world settings.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone involved in the feature, including ITV News, Dr Byron Creese and our wider research collaborators.
🎥 Watch the full ITV News report
Photo: ITV News
