Case Study: University of Arizona students improve Alzheimer’s patient safety with Google for Education and Google Cloud

University of Arizona student team builds GPS smartwatch in 36 hours with Google for Education

The University of Arizona, a student team, faced the challenge of creating a solution to help Alzheimer's patients maintain their autonomy and safety, particularly by preventing wandering and managing care. They developed the concept for Guardian, a GPS-enabled smartwatch and platform, but needed a robust and easy-to-use cloud infrastructure to build it. They turned to Google for Education and leveraged Google Cloud services to bring their project to life.

Using Google Cloud products including Cloud Firestore, Cloud Functions, Firebase Authentication, and Firebase Cloud Messaging, the team built the Guardian platform. This solution allows caregivers to monitor patient location and vital signs, send reminders, and manage medication. The project won an award for its use of Google Cloud and provided the students with the passion and tools to make a positive impact, with plans to further develop and bring the product to market.

University of Arizona