Many people living with dementia find it difficult to communicate when they are anxious, uncomfortable or in pain. Distress often occurs between routine observations, which makes it easy to miss until it escalates. 

At Milbotix, we’ve been working with the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) Care Research & Technology Centre at Imperial College London to explore how wearable technology could help identify distress in people living with dementia. The project investigated how SmartSocks could complement existing smart-home monitoring technology, helping researchers detect changes in a person’s wellbeing and better understand their needs. The aim is to support earlier intervention, reduce the burden on carers and help people living with dementia remain independent for longer. 

Separately, a peer-reviewed feasibility study conducted by Brunel University, involving ten people with dementia across three UK care homes, found the technology was well tolerated, with no reported discomfort or disruption to daily routines. The study also identified data-transmission issues, which directly informed improvements to our hardware. 

This research has helped inform the development of SmartSocks®COMFORT. The socks unobtrusively measure physiological signals, including pulse rate, skin temperature and electrodermal activity, alongside movement. Cloud-based algorithms turn these signals into clear measures of mobility, activity and calmness, with alerts when a person’s patterns change. 

For residential and domiciliary care providers, this can help: 

• People receiving care: Make distress, unmet needs and changes in mobility more visible, including for those with communication difficulties. 

• Care teams: Provide additional information between observations and support more responsive care. 

• Organisations: Supply objective data to help evidence quality of care and demonstrate complex needs. 

SmartSocks®COMFORT is designed to support professional judgement, not replace it. 

Ahead of our planned 2027 launch, we’re recruiting care organisations for 12-week SmartSocks®COMFORT pilot programmes. Pilots are designed to work within existing staffing arrangements. We provide on-site setup and training, and each pilot concludes with a final report, including a cost-benefit summary. 

Help shape the future of technology-enabled care. 

Discover more about SmartSocks®COMFORT on our website: www.milbotix.com/smartsockscomfort/, or contact partner@milbotix.com to learn more about our pilot programmes.