Hack4Health participants with organizers Lisa Loiselle of MAREP and Karla Boluk of the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies. Photo: Kwame Ansong
From a health watch app for symptom-tracking to a mattress that alters pressure points, Hack4Health showcased innovative solutions to improve quality of life for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
More than 70 hackers gathered at the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo on September 26 and 27 for Canada’s first wellness hackathon hosted by the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and the Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program. Mentors, students and researchers collaborated to create hardware, software or social solutions to improve the quality of life of those living with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's or related dementias.
Hackers showcased their ideas during a pitch competition on Sunday. The grand prize winners and their innovations included:
- Circle of Care – an app featuring cognitive, physiological, physical activity and functional summaries
- TBS – TechJournal app paired with health watch to detect temperatures in environment and track symptoms
The judges offered Circle of Care and TBS the unique opportunity to combine their ventures presenting them jointly with the St. Paul’s GreenHouse Prize (four-month stay at GreenHouse for one student) and the opportunity to apply to a research grant up to $15,000 from the MS Society of Canada.
- Cloud9 – a novel way to prevent bedsores by redistributing pressure as a person rests, including production of a pressure map indicating vital pressure points
Cloud9 won the MAREP Prize (four-month stay at St. Paul’s GreenHouse donated by Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation Ken Murray Funds for Distribution) for one member and $5,000 scholarships to Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre for three group members.
- Empower Ad - an audio and timed reminder device called ReMind for individuals living with dementia, with a customizable feature that could use of the voice of a loved one or caregiver
Empower Ad (ReMind) was granted a $5,000 scholarship to Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre for one member and a Pathfinder Market Validation Canvas from the Accelerator Centre.