GPS shoes for Alzheimer’s patients
For those of you who have had heard me run my mouth, I’d like to ask: “Didn’t I tell you so?” I told you elderly people with Alzheimers will be prime targets for implantable tracking devices! Well … here you are. (see the video below).
Oh, and don’t worry; with all of the little children who are being snatched up by all of the crazy people in the news lately … they will be next to have implantable technology sold to them.
Sure, this all sounds great; practical even. But trust me, the information collected by this technology will be co-opted by our benevolent Federal government and then used in ways that will make us easier to watch by ‘big brother’.
That is how it’s done. If this type of technology was pitched by the government, the average person would balk, touting ‘invasion of privacy’. But this is presented by a private company. People are more comfortable giving private companies this kind of access, as oppose to giving it to government. But of course, the Feds can just ask for it, buy it, or subpoena it if they want it bad enough.
From correspondents in Washington*Agence France-Presse*June 06, 2009
http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,25596210-5014239,00.htmlA shoe-maker and a technology company are teaming up to develop footwear with a built-in GPS device that could help track down “wandering” seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.
“The technology will provide the location of the individual wearing the shoes within 9m (30 feet), anywhere on the planet,” said Andrew Carle, an assistant professor at George Mason University who served as an advisor on the project.
“Sixty per cent of individuals afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease will be involved in a ‘critical wandering incident’ at least once during the progression of the disease – many more than once,” he said.
The shoes are being developed by GTX Corp., which makes miniaturised Global Positioning Satellite tracking and location-transmitting technology, and Aetrex Worldwide, a footwear manufacturer.
Carle said embedding a GPS device in a shoe was important because Alzheimer’s victims tend to remove unfamiliar objects placed on them but getting dressed is one of the last types of memory they retain.
He said a “geo-fence” could be placed around a person’s home and a “Google Map” alert sent to a cell phone, home or office computer when a programmed boundary is crossed.
“The shoe we intend on developing with Aetrex should help authorized family members, friends, or caretakers reduce their stress and anguish by enabling them to locate their loved ones instantly with the click of a mouse,” said Chris Walsh, chief operating officer of GTX Corp.
The companies said they plan to begin testing the product by the fourth quarter of the year.
http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,25596210-5014239,00.html
From correspondents in Washington*Agence France-Presse*June 06, 2009
I’m going to play devil’s advocate. I can understand both positions, yours Khalil, as well as individuals whom would be interesting in purchasing these shoes. My grandmother passed away last year and she suffered from Alzheimer’s and there were times when she would wonder off if you took her to places like the grocery store or Wal-Mart. So I can definitely see a positive benefit in the shoes for that purpose.
I do think it should be the consumer’s choice to purchase this item and not something regulated by the government. Also, another concern would be cost. How much would a pair of shoes like this cost? And would health insurance cover the expense? Would health insurance consider it a “medical necessity”?
I would also question the policing of such items. For example, I could easily say I’m purchasing these shoes for my 85 year old grandparent or parent when in fact I’m purchasing them for lets say, my spouse, significant other, ex – wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend – so that I could monitor them. In this sense I could see this being a huge case for stalking, harassing, etc. Even if I could prove there’s a need for the shoes i.e. someone in my family really does suffer from the disease, who’s to say a person on a mission wouldn’t try this? I could see this being a case of invasion of privacy.
And who’s to say this company presenting it this way isn’t the government’s way of trying to get the approval of its people by presenting it like a gift? It’s like giving someone a pretty box of poop wrapped with pretty girf wrap paper and a bow. Even though it’s nicely wrapped and presented, it doesn’t matter – it’s still a box of poop.