A smart light bulb that also monitors daily activities and adjusts lighting to improve sleep and mood is being trained to recognise more complex patterns of behaviour. The UK population aged 75 and over will grow by 29% by 2035, yet residential care costs over £60,000 per year per person. Existing monitoring technologies are often intrusive, expensive, or require complex installation. Circadacare’s Heleos system combines a standard light bulb form factor with embedded sensors and circadian lighting—proven to reduce falls and improve cognition—to generate personalised insights for carers without requiring cameras or wearables. If this project succeeds, Heleos will use advanced machine learning to detect subtle changes in daily routines, such as missed meals or irregular sleep patterns, and alert carers before a crisis occurs. The system integrates with existing care management platforms, reducing the fragmented technology landscape that currently burdens families and local authorities. With the global market for such technologies projected to reach £60 billion by 2032, the research also positions the UK in a rapidly growing industry while delivering measurable reductions in healthcare costs and extended independent living.
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At Circadacare, we're developing innovative technology to help people live independently and safely in their own homes for longer. Our pioneering solution, Heleos, uniquely combines AI-powered monitoring with advanced circadian lighting to enhance wellbeing and deliver peace of mind to both users and their carers. The UK faces significant demographic challenges, with the population of those aged 75 and above set to grow by 29% by 2035\. This is creating unprecedented pressure on our health and social care systems, which already struggle with staff shortages and limited resources. The rising cost of care adds further strain to family and local authority budgets. With residential care costing over £60,000 annually per person, solutions that extend independent living deliver significant economic benefits. While various technologies exist to support independent living, current solutions are often intrusive, expensive, or require complex installation. Many systems operate in isolation, creating a fragmented and difficult-to-manage technology landscape. Heleos addresses these challenges through an elegant, all-in-one solution that combines sophisticated monitoring capabilities within a standard light bulb form factor. Our innovation is twofold: the Heleos smart bulb provides automated circadian lighting -- a technology proven to improve sleep, mood and cognition, and to reduce falls, while embedded sensors invisibly monitor daily activities and wellbeing. This data generates personalized insights for both informal and professional carers through our secure, interoperable platform. The system integrates with existing care management platforms, ensuring that vital information reaches the right people at the right time. This project focuses on enhancing Heleos' capabilities through advanced machine learning, enabling more sophisticated pattern recognition and predictive insights. By accelerating our development and market entry, we aim to establish Circadacare as a leader in affordable care technologies that preserve independence and dignity. This advances the UK's position in a rapidly growing global market projected to reach £60 billion by 2032 (Fact.MR, 2022), while delivering meaningful social impact through improved care outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.
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