Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,253
Jacksonville, Florida
I did a quick google but didn't find any.

There is the EMERGENCY function but nothing that will notify people of a medical emergency without user input. I suspect that Apple knows it's HR sensor is not quite up to the job, heck mine will stop finding my HR for long periods of time and I sure do not want my watch calling 911 or my next of kin to tell them my heart has stopped.
 

Arran

macrumors 601
Mar 7, 2008
4,848
3,781
Atlanta, USA
There is the EMERGENCY function but nothing that will notify people of a medical emergency without user input. I suspect that Apple knows it's HR sensor is not quite up to the job, heck mine will stop finding my HR for long periods of time and I sure do not want my watch calling 911 or my next of kin to tell them my heart has stopped.
The design for the app would need to incorporate a "dead man's switch" mechanism in software. Something like:
  1. Watch senses no heart rate.
  2. App displays an "I'm Not Dead!" button prominently on the screen
  3. Watch notifies wearer (loudly) that if they don't respond by pressing the "I'm Not Dead" button within 60 seconds, a notification will be automatically sent to next or kin, employer, whoever.
I suppose there could be serious applications for this: Train driver, nuclear plant supervisor, night watchman, round-the-world solo yachtsman, anyone living alone, etc.

The wording sent to next of kin would need careful consideration. Rather than a bald: "Dad's dead! [OK]" pop up, maybe a more gentle, "You might want to check on your dad?", accompanied by a button to speed dial his cellphone number.
[doublepost=1488456588][/doublepost]
I did a quick google but didn't find any.
So, that's the design all done, now! ;)

Are you planning to write an app?
 
Last edited:

iamsen47

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 18, 2012
199
12
Kobe, Japan
Are you planning to write an app?

I might. I live in a separate country from my parents with no intention of ever returning. My dad lives alone, and I was just reading articles about people that clean up apartments of those who die alone, often undiscovered for a lengthy period of time.

For the notifications, 60s is probably a bit extreme. I would have a notification sent to the main app on the phone and if there's no action taken within maybe 48 hours, to notify next of kin.
 

willmtaylor

macrumors G4
Oct 31, 2009
10,314
8,198
Here(-ish)
The design for the app would need to incorporate a "dead man's switch" mechanism in software. Something like:
  1. Watch senses no heart rate.
  2. App displays an "I'm Not Dead!" button prominently on the screen
  3. Watch notifies wearer (loudly) that if they don't respond by pressing the "I'm Not Dead" button within 60 seconds, a notification will be automatically sent to next or kin, employer, whoever.
I suppose there could be serious applications for this: Train driver, nuclear plant supervisor, night watchman, round-the-world solo yachtsman, anyone living alone, etc.

The wording sent to next of kin would need careful consideration. Rather than a bald: "Dad's dead! [OK]" pop up, maybe a more gentle, "You might want to check on your dad?", accompanied by a button to speed dial his cellphone number.
[doublepost=1488456588][/doublepost]
So, that's the design all done, now! ;)

Are you planning to write an app?

I might. I live in a separate country from my parents with no intention of ever returning. My dad lives alone, and I was just reading articles about people that clean up apartments of those who die alone, often undiscovered for a lengthy period of time.

For the notifications, 60s is probably a bit extreme. I would have a notification sent to the main app on the phone and if there's no action taken within maybe 48 hours, to notify next of kin.

These are good ideas and probably more and more viable as the sensors on the AW improve.

Additionally, I wonder if the accelerometer and other sensors would be good enough to detect falls (e.g. for senior citizens) and could serve a similar role as the "Life Alert" system?
 

Cycling Asia

macrumors 6502
Mar 19, 2016
273
217
Actually this could be a good idea, I ride a bike and sometimes I'm only inches away from trucks traveling at 100+Km/h - 60mph (thanks to the trucks driving half in the cycling lane). I could set my watch (or phone) to sms someone if it has detected I've been motionless for X minutes (say 10 minutes), because when all is well, I am far from motionless.

Quick, patent that ****.
 

christarp

macrumors 6502
Oct 29, 2013
478
768
Honestly, does it matter how long it is before someone is notified if you're dead? Like, someone will eventually find your body. Only reason I could see someone not finding your body is if you're out of cell service, and in that case your phone wouldnt be able to notify anyone anyway..
 

Newtons Apple

Suspended
Mar 12, 2014
22,757
15,253
Jacksonville, Florida
Honestly, does it matter how long it is before someone is notified if you're dead? Like, someone will eventually find your body. Only reason I could see someone not finding your body is if you're out of cell service, and in that case your phone wouldnt be able to notify anyone anyway..

Honestly, it DOES matter!

My company works in the Apartment industry and it is much nicer if the body is removed shortly after death. I have been to a unit where the very overweight person died in a tub of water and maggots were so prolific that they dropped from the door casing when you opened the front door. Lots of liquid and warm temps can really get things to go to the extreme! After the liquid is gone, most "activity" comes to a halt.

In our family we have several older members and each knows how to call or text someone every morning without fail.

If they do not . . . . . action is taken!
 

arkitect

macrumors 604
Sep 5, 2005
7,097
12,687
Bath, United Kingdom
Honestly, does it matter how long it is before someone is notified if you're dead? Like, someone will eventually find your body. Only reason I could see someone not finding your body is if you're out of cell service, and in that case your phone wouldnt be able to notify anyone anyway..
Yes. Yes it does.

Personal anecdote: A really close friend of ours went into a diabetic coma (Type 1) when her insulin pump failed during the Friday night… it was the UK May Bank holiday. It was a hot spell. She was discovered 5 days later. Her dog had gotten hungry in the meantime…
She was 44, lived alone, had loads of friends… she still fell into the gap.

So, yes. @iamsen47 , Notify when I'm dead would be a great app.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arran

sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
With the right task management app you might be able to configure a recurring daily appointment that sends a reminder via text message or email if you don't mark it as Done by a certain time. But yeah... imagine the false positive possibilities: Forgetting to mark something "Done" because you were busy or incapacitated.. "Mom, I'm not dead... I was just drunk!"

I don't know... I could see there being a service related to this, but of course it would cost some money. Kind of like the old life alert buttons. It's a device connected to a service that will try to reach you when triggered. The triggers could be automated. If you don't unlock your phone, watch, or perform some other activity for a certain period of time the service first tries to contact you multiple ways. If you don't respond, they send emergency services to your home. If you aren't there and still aren't responding, they notify your specified emergency contacts.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arran

WeatherMate

macrumors member
Mar 17, 2015
73
4
san francisco, california
Well, smart watch does provide the data about the sleeping hours and heart beat and would be able to provide the information that if a person is dead or not. But currently i do not think that there is an app developed for this purpose and even if they develop an app for this particular purpose, there is always a room for a bug. In the case, when the smart watch is loose on the wrist or if there is an error/bug in the software, smart watch wold send the signal that the person is dead and i am pretty sure that you wouldn't want that.
 

cajay0420

macrumors newbie
Oct 9, 2017
1
1
I might. I live in a separate country from my parents with no intention of ever returning. My dad lives alone, and I was just reading articles about people that clean up apartments of those who die alone, often undiscovered for a lengthy period of time.

For the notifications, 60s is probably a bit extreme. I would have a notification sent to the main app on the phone and if there's no action taken within maybe 48 hours, to notify next of kin.

If someone would simply create an app that requires you to respond to a message or text (or even a service that does that) on a daily or weekly basis, it would be huge. Many of us who live at home might not be found for days if we were unconscious or dead. I have a dog. I don't want him dead, too; if something happened to me. But I don't want to make friends and neighbors responsible for checking on me all the time - especially when technology should be able to handle it and I'd be willing to pay for the service. I can't believe there's nothing readily available for something so seemingly simple. They have it as an on demand service when you go out, but no automatic service. Thoughts?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arran

Turnpike

macrumors 6502a
Oct 2, 2011
549
315
New York City!
Even better than an app that senses where you're dead, would be a dead-man's switch... where if you don't confirm with a password every so often upon being notified, then a certain browser history is deleted, and/or an email or text is sent to a designated person (which could say "check on me" or something like that) and other privacy related things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Arran

newellj

macrumors G3
Oct 15, 2014
8,127
3,030
East of Eden
Honestly, it DOES matter!

My company works in the Apartment industry and it is much nicer if the body is removed shortly after death. I have been to a unit where the very overweight person died in a tub of water and maggots were so prolific that they dropped from the door casing when you opened the front door. Lots of liquid and warm temps can really get things to go to the extreme! After the liquid is gone, most "activity" comes to a halt.

In our family we have several older members and each knows how to call or text someone every morning without fail.

If they do not . . . . . action is taken!

Yes. Yes it does.

Personal anecdote: A really close friend of ours went into a diabetic coma (Type 1) when her insulin pump failed during the Friday night… it was the UK May Bank holiday. It was a hot spell. She was discovered 5 days later. Her dog had gotten hungry in the meantime…
She was 44, lived alone, had loads of friends… she still fell into the gap.

So, yes. @iamsen47 , Notify when I'm dead would be a great app.
Gak. Sympathies to arkitect. I think I'm going to stop reading this thread. :(
 

DeepIn2U

macrumors G5
May 30, 2002
12,826
6,880
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I might. I live in a separate country from my parents with no intention of ever returning. My dad lives alone, and I was just reading articles about people that clean up apartments of those who die alone, often undiscovered for a lengthy period of time.

For the notifications, 60s is probably a bit extreme. I would have a notification sent to the main app on the phone and if there's no action taken within maybe 48 hours, to notify next of kin.

Let’s expand this apps capabilities and focus:

Use Gyroscope, rate of velocity (like the twist wristto wake but over a longer descent).

Have it use the heart rate range for known issues like stroke.
Have your app detect a rapid rate of fall and sudden stop. Expect those with heart attacks, strokes, and even just elderly falling, make an emergency call notification outbound: sms, email, ambulance, and voice call (wifi via phone), and LTE S3.

This could be a medical type of application not unlike those medical necklaces that home AT&T security used to have many years ago peddling on late night TV.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.