By Chris Walker

Amulyte, a Canada based startup, said it’s opted to go the crowdfunding route in its aim to get an emergency alert device on the market by next year.

Amulyte is developing an emergency response system for senior citizens, aiming to lengthen the broadcast range for emergency medical alert devices, by using cellular systems, GPS, and Wi-Fi. Designed to work from virtually anywhere, the Amulyte sends a message to directly alert family members quickly, in case of an emergency.

The company is launching a crowdsourced campaign on wefunder.com, hoping to drum up $2 million to fund a market launch next year.

The device, a pendant about ½ the size of a business card, is able to be tracked via an iPhone or iPad app. Currently, the Amulyte is being tested in a retirement home in Toronto, with plans to expand research to a retirement home in California, which has a higher senior citizen population, according to a press release.

The most common injury among seniors is falls, commonly happening outside of the home and impacting 1 in 3 senior citizens. Amulyte seeks to cut down on the response time. With a U.S. senior citizen population of 40 million set to double in 2050, the startup said it sees a potential opening for the product.

"Most falls happen outside the home, and Amulyte addresses that by enabling seniors to live their lives beyond the range in which existing systems work," co-founder Perry Haldenby said in prepared remarks. "Many seniors tell us that they would love to have our device because they could go for a walk and not have to worry about getting help quickly if they fall."

Amulyte said it’s raised $250,000 in venture capital funding so far.