Now more than ever we are doing our best to contribute to the national effort during the coronavirus pandemic.  We have collaborated with No Isolation, creators of the AV1 robot that will go to school for you, to pilot another of their products – KOMP Pro.

No Isolation, a Norweigan company founded in 2015, aims to tackle involuntary social isolation and loneliness through technology. They have developed a simple tablet-style device to benefit those who might struggle with modern technology or who didn’t grow up with it. With just one button, KOMP can keep seniors connected to their loved ones. 

There are two types of Komp device:

KOMP Family is a branch of the technology which is already widely used; it allows family members to use a free app connected to their loved one’s KOMP device to upload photos and videos, send messages and make video calls. 

KOMP Pro enables seniors to live more independently. It has many of the same functions as the KOMP Family initiative: carers can send photos and messages and make video calls. However KOMP Pro also has the ability to schedule medical appointments and provide medication reminders tailored to individual needs or care programmes. Users of KOMP Pro can manage an unlimited number of KOMP devices, create specific groups and assign different levels of access to team members.

Smartphones and tablets are made for the masses, not for people with cognitive or physical limitations. KOMP was specifically tailored for seniors and they were involved in the development process.

Only one button

Growing old, our bodies change. Dry fingertips make it hard to use touch screens, vision and hearing impairments make it hard to see and hear what happens on an average tablet or computer screen. KOMP only has one button, a high contrast screen and clear audio so that the senior can easily use the device, and see and hear the content.

No usernames or passwords

Most products require usernames and passwords. KOMP does not.

App for sharing content and managing KOMP

Through the KOMP app the family or carer is responsible for the administration (e.g. installing apps, inviting members). This lessens the burden of use on the senior, making it more inviting to start using KOMP and easier to navigate when using it. All app-members are invite only, giving you full control over the people that can contact the user.

Simple functionality

Endless functionality and endless choices makes manoeuvring traditional products hard and confusing for people who have little experience using technology. With KOMP, all new additions are user tested with seniors, and only implemented if it increases opportunity without decreasing the feeling of independence.

No tracking or sharing of personal user data

No Isolation only tracks metadata (e.g. number of photos/messages sent by total users), but never private messages or photos, and they never share personal data with third parties, such as other apps.

No Isolation has offered Care City six KOMP devices, along with the KOMP Pro software, to establish a pilot within care homes for a period of three months, after which time, if the pilot site wished to, could continue to use the devices and the software for the standard rental fee.

We are looking for 1 to 2 care homes to take part in the trial and provide feedback on the device and its accompanying software. If this is something that would be of interest to you, please do get in touch – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.