Man creates smartphone keyboard case to help his mother

After Richard Chan’s mother suffered a stroke, she fell and remained helpless for several hours without the possibility of calling for help. It became difficult for her to communicate on the phone.

That is when her son Chan, who is also a telecommunications engineer, tried to look for a phone that could make communication easier and at the same time provide better security. Since he didn’t find anything on the market, he started working on developing a new product.

The solution is called EziSmart and consists of a telephone case equipped with physical keys. The keys are ergonomically designed as small bowls that make it easy to use, even for those who struggle with tremors and poor fine motor skills. The keyboard is also combined with a text-to-speech program that allows the patient to hear what they have written.

Gully, who uses the device said: “before I started this, I had a regular mobile phone. When you start with a smartphone at a high age, one is probably a bit more awkward. Being able to use a physical keyboard felt both more familiar and easier”.

Chan also developed a GPS functionality that allows the patient to send a text message and immediately receive a link showing where they are on the map. Then their position can easily be sent through message or trigger an SOS alarm that both sends the position to and dials preset contacts with the speaker enabled.

Another application Chan developed is the ICE (In Case of Emergency), where one can easily enter important information such as insurance and which medication the person takes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftKdYnzRTcg