From left: Rebecca McManus and Prof Vinny Wade. Image: Paul Sharp
The start-up is led by Prof Vinny Wade, chair of AI at Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics and former director of the Adapt research centre.
Amethyst Care, a start-up based in Trinity College Dublin that is developing an AI-powered voice assistant for people with mobility issues, has raised more than €500,000 from Enterprise Ireland.
Based in the university’s Adapt centre – the Science Foundation Ireland research centre for AI-driven digital content technology – Amethyst Care aims help detect early signs of cognitive decline and enable timely interventions that could delay or mitigate the symptoms of cognitive illnesses. The idea is to help them live at home independently for longer.
Funding was raised through the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund Programme, which supports third-level researchers in translating their research into innovative and commercially viable products, services and companies.
Amethyst Care is led by Prof Vinny Wade, who is the chair of AI at Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics and former director at Adapt.
Wade said that the start-up will combine “innovative state-of-the-art generative AI [GenAI] techniques with personalisation technology” to deliver a voice-based companion to assist older people with living at home or in sheltered accommodation.
“The GenAI voice-based assistant will provide continuous care support as well as daily levels of companionship and voice assistance,” he said.
Such technology is particularly beneficial for individuals with tremors and other mobility related issues that find traditional devices challenging due to reduced fine motor skills, according to the team.
“Our goal is to address key issues faced by patients, caregivers and the healthcare system, including loneliness, medication management, cognitive decline, caregiver stress and healthcare professional shortages,” said Rebecca McManus, entrepreneur and commercial lead for the start-up.
“This Enterprise Ireland funding will significantly advance our efforts, enabling us to expend our team and prepare for full-scale commercialisation over the next 18 months.”
Features of the AI-powered voice assistant include continuous monitoring of vital signs, reminders for medications and appointments, emergency alerts in case of accidents, tools to enhance memory, and real-time notifications for family and healthcare professionals.
Diseases such as Parkinson’s and early dementia have been rising steadily around the world. According to World Health Organization statistics posted last year, there are currently around 55m people living with dementia – with 10m new cases every year.
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