How did Deep Care and Isa come about?
Why is Isa an extra device and not a smartphone app?
How is Isa used in companies? Can you test it first?
How is data protection guaranteed?
What role does artificial intelligence (AI) play at Isa?
Transfer innovation through personal involvement
The founding team got to know each other while working together at Bosch in the field of robotics. Due to the long and concentrated work at the computer screen, unhealthy work routines gradually developed there, such as long and rigid sitting in an unergonomic posture. Despite the many health offers at Bosch, these routines have had a noticeable effect on health over time, as conventional health offers rarely have a lasting effect on one's own behaviour in everyday life. The idea of an assistance system for sitting behaviour that directly addresses habits was born out of personal experience and technical expertise.
Deep Care GmbH was founded in 2020 and the concept for Isa was developed in close collaboration with physiotherapists, company health managers, health insurance companies and numerous test subjects. Initially on a part-time basis and full-time since 2022 with a growing team of health and behavioural scientists as well as software, product and market developers. This was made possible above all by the first innovative companies that saw potential in Isa for their employees and thus became customers early on. But public funding programmes and courageous investors were also very important for us.
Since October 2022, there has been a 2nd product generationwhich includes all 1st generation learning experiences. In addition, the business model "Isa on Demand" - an automated and sustainable recycling system for companies.
For users - little distraction with high effectiveness
The duration and intensity of use is crucial for a high level of effectiveness in terms of behavioural change. This also applies to health apps. One reason why we have implemented the concept with an additional device and not as a smartphone app is that it is used more long-term this way. Health apps and their push notifications can easily get lost among the many other apps on a mobile phone and can distract from work by nudging users to use their smartphones. With the additional device, we create a better separation and thus promote long-term, everyday use, true to our motto "Simply healthy - on the side".
For data protection - offline and anonymous
Do you like being watched by a camera? Neither do we or your colleagues. That's why at Isa we use a sensor to record sitting and movement behaviour at the desk instead of a webcam or smartphone camera. This is extremely precise and records the data completely anonymously, without the possibility of facial recognition. The specially developed device can be used completely offline and only requires an internet connection for updates.
For the company - simple integration
The separate device is self-sufficient and plug & play. No integration into the company's IT infrastructure is necessary. Simply place it on your desk - whether in the office or home office - and off you go!
For companies with more than 200 office employees, our Isa on Demand circulation system is the simplest and most sustainable way to enable employees to have healthy work routines through Isa. Here's how it works:
1. Employees can book a period of 1-3 months themselves via a booking platform and have Isa sent directly to their office or home office.
2. This means that there is hardly any work for the OH&S department, as only the maximum annual usage quota has to be determined and internal information about the offer has to be provided. There is also no financial risk for the company, as we only charge for the actual number of Isa bookings.
3. The 1-3 months of Isa use is derived from behavioural psychology in order to achieve a lasting effect on the individual health routines of employees.
4. If individual employees wish to continue using their Isa after graduation, they can do so independently and at their own expense with a discounted, monthly cancellable company subscription.
For you as an employer, this means: hardly any effort, no financial risk and a lasting health effect! And of course you stand out as an innovative employer who attaches great importance to the health of its employees. More about Isa on Demand.
Offline data processing, anonymous sensor technology and data minimisation
Isa works without a camera, but with a special sensor that can precisely record sitting and movement behaviour without identifying a person. This allows Isa to provide targeted support for a healthy way of working while the users remain completely anonymous. Furthermore, all data is processed offline on the users' individual devices and deleted at the end of the day.
Okay, Isa works offline, but how does it receive updates? Users who are provided with Isa by their employer for several weeks as part of Isa on Demand always receive the latest software pre-installed. Long-term users can connect Isa independently from time to time in order to carry out updates and thus participate in continuous further development despite data protection-safe offline operation.
Has the data protection concept been reviewed and approved by a neutral body? As part of a publicly funded project, our data protection concept was critically reviewed and jointly optimised by the Fraunhofer IOSB and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology. These institutes subsequently confirmed the quality of our data protection concept in an expert report.
More than just a buzzword - AI is at the heart of Isa
The AI in Deep Care is responsible for recognising sitting and ergonomic behaviour. A deep learning algorithm processes the data and identifies relevant behaviour.
The deep learning algorithm is a complete in-house development and is continuously trained by us offline in the laboratory. We do this with the help of many volunteer test subjects of different sizes, stature, clothing, etc. In this way, the AI is constantly learning and collects enough information to recognise the user's movement and ergonomics, even when Isa is used offline.
Based on this recognition of sitting and movement behaviour by Isa, a further "decision algorithm" provides the user with the right health recommendations at the right time according to their actual behaviour.
Doesn't all this already exist? During the development of Isa, we also tested various open source modules, but ultimately they were always too inaccurate or incompatible with our data protection-compliant sensor technology. That's why our development team developed this system from scratch, trained it with health scientists and patented the entire process.
