LARA is a personal assistant, built on the ALEXA platform (Skill), designed to monitor the well-being of elderly, ill, or recovering individuals when no caregiver is present.
LARA performs periodic check-ins by asking if everything is okay and processes the response, sending notifications to family members or responsible parties whenever the assisted person indicates they are not feeling well or even calls for help.
A large number of people today live with the constant concern of giving proper attention to their aging parents, while still having to deal with the normal challenges of life.
Advances in medicine have allowed people to live longer.
Now, advances in technology allow them to stay safe even when their children, friends, or relatives cannot be physically present.
The LARA assistant was created to fill this gap.
In a humanized and non-invasive way, LARA periodically asks the monitored person how they are doing and sends notifications to the responsible family members only when an intervention is advisable — for example, after a long period without a response or when the person directly indicates that they are not feeling well.
All of this happens through the ALEXA platform.
Affordable and easy to use, the Alexa platform is perfect for supporting the daily lives of people who spend long periods alone—whether due to age, illness, or recovery.
In addition to LARA’s own capabilities, Alexa offers a wide range of features such as games, music, prayers, and customizable Routine programming options.
And what about the famous “forgotten medications”?
LARA is programmed to automatically remind the user at the correct medication times, alerting them about which medicines must be taken. Everything is configured by the user in a simple way during the installation of the Skill.
How does LARA work?
LARA is an intelligent active-monitoring system that uses Alexa to provide safety, presence, and peace of mind for families caring for elderly or vulnerable individuals.
It works fully automatically and in a personalized way, operating through the following pillars:
1) Scheduled questions throughout the day
The system sends check-in questions to the user (for example: “Hi Dona Maria, is everything okay over there?”).
These messages:
• Are personalized for each person
• Follow configured schedules (morning, routine, and evening)
• Use dynamic messages stored in the database
After each question is sent, the system waits for the user’s response.
2) Automatic processing of responses
The user replies through Alexa — speaking naturally — and the system interprets what was said using:
• Alexa NLU slot recognition
• Text recognition fallback
• Status-classification algorithms
Possible classifications:
• Positive (“I’m fine”)
• Attention (“I’m not feeling very well”, “I feel sick”)
• Help (“I need help”)
• Emergency (“help”, “emergency”)
Each response is saved in the database with local time, correct timezone, and full interaction details.
For attention, help, and emergency, the system sends different notifications to the person responsible for the monitored user.
3) No response → retries + automatic alert
If the user does not respond:
Minute 05: the system resends the question
Minute 10: the system triggers an alert to the caregiver
The caregiver is notified via:
• WhatsApp (using WhatsApp Cloud API)
• Email
• Alexa Push Notification on their device
The alert includes:
• Name of the monitored user
• Name of the caregiver
• Time of the unanswered question
This logic ensures monitoring even during distraction, difficulty, or emergency situations.
4) Emergencies detected through speech
If the user says something like:
• “Help me”
• “Emergency”
• “I need help”
• “I’m feeling sick”
The system immediately activates the emergency protocol:
• Voice message on the caregiver’s device
• Urgent WhatsApp
• Email
• Log entry
5) Humanized language
LARA automatically understands Portuguese, English, and Spanish, including:
• Natural speech
• Variations and informal phrases
• Short or incomplete answers
• Common Brazilian expressions (“tô bem”, “não tô legal”)
• Tone and contextual cues
6) Full cloud logging (DynamoDB)
Every event generates a log with:
• Local date/time
• UTC date/time
• Classified status
• Spoken phrase
• Origin (Alexa, text input, retry)
• Type of alert
• Fallback or emergency details
All data is stored for 30 days using automatic TTL.
7) Fully automatic and secure
The system works:
• With no manual intervention
• Across different time zones
• With personalized messages
• Monitoring multiple users simultaneously
It is the ideal solution for families who want an extra layer of care and peace of mind using accessible, modern technology.
What does LARA not do?
LARA is an automated check-in and notification system only.
This system:
• does not replace the benefits of in-person human interaction;
• is not capable of providing physical or on-site assistance automatically;
• is not capable of automatically contacting emergency services (ambulances or others).
LARA was created to support family members in caring for their elderly parents or for people in vulnerable conditions, and it should always be complemented with other well-being monitoring methods.
About
Novais AI is a project focused on developing human-centered solutions based on Artificial Intelligence and personal assistants such as Alexa. The projects are currently under development and will soon be available for beta testers.
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