SERENA – Smart Embedded Responsive Entity for Elderly Needs and Assistance – is our Healthcare Home Assistant: a comprehensive health monitoring and assistance solution, specially designed for elderly users and patients under continuous care.

🧠 The Problem

As populations age globally, the number of elderly individuals living with chronic conditions, cognitive decline, and visual impairments continues to grow. Many of these individuals struggle to manage their daily medication schedules, report symptoms accurately, and maintain consistent communication with healthcare providers — especially those living alone or in understaffed care environments. Missed doses, incorrect self-medication, and unreported health changes are common and can lead to serious complications or hospital readmissions.

💡 Our Solution

SERENA addresses these challenges by integrating intelligent technology into a user-friendly, voice-interactive healthcare assistant. It ensures patients receive the correct medication at the right time, provides simple interfaces for symptom reporting, and keeps caregivers continuously informed through a secure cloud-based platform. By combining an embedded smart device with a centralized base station and a reliable communication infrastructure, SERENA promotes autonomy, safety, and proactive care.

SERENA - full diagram

System Structure

The system is organized into three main subsystems:

1. Embedded Device Subsystem

It is the physical device that remains with the elderly person. Responsible for:

• Voice interaction, physical button input, and visual feedback through LEDs
• Audible and visual notifications for medication schedules
• Periodic symptom reporting via voice input
• Medication identification using a built-in camera and image recognition
• Automatic medication dispensing, releasing the correct dose at the right time according to the registered prescription
• Intake confirmation via voice or button, with follow-up alerts to caregivers if no response is detected

                                Embedded Device Subsystem Diagram – SERENA (1)

       Embedded Device Subsystem Diagram – SERENA (2)

Embedded Device Subsystem Diagram – SERENA (3)