Fall detection for older adults, with no wearables and no buttons

The problem isn't the fall — it's the time on the floor

Most falls aren't dramatic. They're a slip on the way to the bathroom, a dizzy spell getting out of bed. The real damage almost never comes from the impact: it comes from the wait — hours on the floor until someone calls, drops by, or notices. All of Velia's design comes from that observation: you can't prevent every fall (nobody can), but none should go unnoticed.

How the detection works

A vision neural network runs inside the phone, tracking posture several times per second: standing, sitting, lying down, on the floor. Over the days it learns the room — where the floor, the bed and the doors are — and tells "resting on the couch" apart from "down on the floor". With two cameras in the same home, they cross-check each other: if one hesitates and the other sees nothing wrong, no alert goes out. Fewer false scares at 3 a.m.

Core detection runs on the phone; normal alerts contain no image. Velia does not store video recordings on its servers. Authorized devices can receive encrypted live video; optional setup and Second Look can process an ephemeral image with consent. Read about the camera without cloud recording.

What happens in the next minute

When the AI detects something, the Home's active Viewer receives the alert and event clip. If nobody responds, Velia alerts again at 3 minutes and escalates at 8. Pro allows multiple Viewers to participate, and the first response stops the chain. Optional Second Look may review one frame and add context; the frame is discarded afterwards.

No wearables: the person does nothing

A panic button or a fall-detection watch demands three things: that the person wears it, is conscious, and triggers it. All three fail exactly when they matter most. Velia asks for exactly nothing — no app to install, no battery to charge, nothing to remember. Their only role is giving consent during setup: onboarding asks for it before any watching begins.

What fall detection cannot promise

No fall detection — not ours, not a thousand-dollar watch — catches 100% of events. Velia is complementary care assistance: it is not a medical device, it doesn't call emergency services, and it doesn't replace human supervision. We say it here and on the questions page because we'd rather you know before installing, not after.

What you need to start

An Android from 2017 onwards — a broken screen is fine, a worn battery too, because it lives plugged in. The exact requirements are here. If you're unsure about the phone in your drawer, the short answer is it probably works. And if you're just starting to worry about someone living alone, this is where to start.