Real stories
Longitude Prize – meet the finalists using technology to help people with dementia
We meet the five finalists for the Longitude Prize on Dementia and learn about their groundbreaking innovations.
It’s been over two years since the £4 million Longitude Prize launched its bold dementia challenge.
This asked inventors worldwide for new technology to revolutionise the lives of people with dementia.
The competition, funded by Alzheimer’s Society and Innovate UK, had 175 entrants. These have since been whittled down to a final five.
Each finalist has been awarded £300,000 to develop prototypes. The winner, announced in early 2026, will net a grand prize of £1 million. So who are these innovators and what difference do they hope to make?

Clockwise from bottom left: CrossSense, MemoryAid, Supersense and AUTONOMOUS.
Finalist 1: Supersense
James Brown’s volunteer work for a dementia charity inspired the camera-free monitor Supersense, which he developed with Matt Ash.
James, CEO of Supersense Technologies, says, ‘At almost every house we visited, there would be a drawer full of unused gadgets.
‘I knew that there was a better, unintrusive technology that could help people with dementia live safely in their own homes for longer.’
Technology that could help families know that their loved one is safe and well.

James Brown of Supersense Technologies
The Supersense device gathers information about a person’s movements and safety, shared with relatives by WhatsApp or text.
James explains, ‘Our system identifies new behavioural patterns so that carers can provide support at the right time.’
Finalist 2: Theora 360
Theora 360 uses football pitch sensor technology to prevent falls. Existing devices alert carers when a fall has happened. But this smartwatch uses technology that maps how a football moves on a pitch to predict when falls are likely.

Stephen Popovich of Clairvoyant Networks
Stephen Popovich is CEO of Clairvoyant Networks, the US company developing the product.
He explains, ‘We know that people living with dementia are more likely to fall.
So it made sense to focus on a solution that could help to accurately detect and predict falls.
‘Not only will Theora 360 increase independence, but it will give family members peace of mind knowing how their loved one is doing even when they can’t be there with them’
Finalist 3: AUTONOMOUS
Family member struggles inspired the Portuguese team behind AUTONOMOUS.
This system uses a smartwatch, smartphone and home sensors to learn daily routines by measuring temperature, distance and sound direction.
The person gets step-by-step prompts for tasks with pictures, texts, sounds or vibrations. If something is missed, a carer can be alerted through an app.

Cristina Mendes Santos of Associação Fraunhofer Portugal Research
Cristina Mendes Santos, at Associação Fraunhofer Portugal Research, says, ‘Through our research and lived experience, we found being able to complete daily activities autonomously was most meaningful to people with dementia.’
Fellow researcher Filippo Talami says the system supports independence.
We designed the system with the family in mind and wanted the system to communicate with caregivers, but only when needed.
Finalist 4: CrossSense
People with dementia value being able to go about their daily lives, and that’s what the CrossSense device hopes to support.
London co-operative Animorph developed lightweight glasses with technology to identify objects around the home.
The glasses use text and a voice to name objects or potential dangers and answer questions. Hopefully, the device will identify people in the future too.

Szczepan Orlins of Animorph (left)
Szczepan Orlins, Software and Business Developer, says, ‘This is a tool to allow people to live their life how they wish.
‘We are working on overlaying colours, shapes and sounds to help reinforce memory and hopefully even delay the progress of dementia.’
Finalist 5: MemoryAid
MemoryAid, designed to look like a phone, offers reminders of daily activities through screen prompts. It can also be used to video call family and friends.
People can use an app to design personalised prompts, using photos from their home and recording instructions in their preferred voice and language.
However, the main function is to make it easier for people to stay in touch.
To make a video call, users simply need to touch an image on the screen.

Celia Harris of Western Sydney University
Celia Harris, Associate Professor at Western Sydney University, Australia, helped develop MemoryAid.
A lot of technology designed for people with dementia emphasises safety monitoring.
‘But we wanted to design something that fosters independence and which removes barriers to social connection.’
Dementia innovation
We are working to tackle the challenges facing people with dementia by supporting innovative minds and breakthrough products.