The ‘Anna Cares’ digital daily personal assistant developed by Flinders University spin-out company Clevertar has won the best new product and the health category at the South Australian state iAwards.
The annual iAwards aim to discover, recognise and reward ICT innovations that are making or could make a positive impact in the community – at home, in the office and on a global scale. The awards were presented by Dr Susan Close, SA Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation.
Anna Cares is a cloud-based solution that allows aged and disability service providers to keep in contact with clients in their homes and check that they are taking their medications and taking part in daily activities.
It uses a relational agent or clever avatar called Anna who appears on an iPad provided to the client. Anna guides the client through their daily activities, reminds them to take their medications and any appointments they may have, asks them about their wellbeing and delivers messages by voice from the person’s family or service provider.
Clevertar was spun out of the University’s Centre for Knowledge and Interaction Technologies, which focuses on care and assistive technology solutions, in 2012.