2PCS - Personal Protection & Caring System

The 2PCS project developed an alerting and locating system designed for professional caregivers for indoor and outdoor use, addressing the safety and independence of persons in care.

Short Description

The system was tested in three different pilot sites in Austria, Italy and Switzerland including call centre services.

The main objectives of the project were to increase personal mobility, facilitate access to services and communication support and enhance the subjective and objective feeling of safety of older adults and their social environment.

Watch, Infrastructure and Management Software

Systematic research and experimental development led to a system consisting of the 2PCS safety watch, the 2PCS infrastructure and the 2PCS web-based management software for flexible process control.

At the end of the project, the 2PCS system showed the potential to be ready for serial production and market launch in the subsequent two to three years. The process and technology mix of 2PCS provides a unique solution with specific safety and comfort functionalities for diverse market segments taking into account ethical requirements and multinational legal frameworks.

The development process for 2PCS was based on the Design Science Research (DSR) approach, with a focus on identifying and evaluating market conditions and on permanent user integration (more than 2,000 persons) to ensure a usercentred design before developing the 2PCS artefact. The feedback from users of the iterative pilots carried out under realistic conditions in existing care environments was very valuable for further development during the project and subsequent market launch (series production).

Serial Production for Care Institutions

2PCS Solutions GmbH was founded two years after the end of the project and holds all relevant IPR. Every single component of the 2PCS system was modified, updated and newly developed to ensure scalability and to support rapid commercialisation. This includes in particular wearing styles, design adjustments, optimised usability and interoperability with third-party systems. Serial production started in December 2016 and the system was first implemented in professional care settings.

Project Partners

Consortium Manager

University of Innsbruck

Participating Countries

Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland

Contact Address

Project Coordinator

Mag. Dr Felix Piazolo
E-Mail: felix.piazolo@uibk.ac.at