**THE FALL GUY:** Hull’s Jake Smith, a college student in Japan, is harnessing the latest technology to help prevent senior citizens from sustaining injuries from falls. His ‘VisionPath’ project is building on work he started while a student at Hull High. [Courtesy photo]

By Carol Britton Meyer

A recent Hull High graduate now attending college in Japan is using his technological expertise to make a difference in the lives of senior citizens around the world.

Jake Smith – who grew up in town and graduated from Hull High in 2024 with high honors – is now studying in Japan working on a technology-based way to help prevent falls among older adults as part of a team effort, building on a vision that began in high school.

“Falls are actually the leading cause of injury among seniors – which can quickly take away their independence – and many people rely on walkers for mobility,” he told The Hull Times. “Instead of building entirely new walkers, I’ve been exploring a way to add technology to the walkers many seniors already use.”

The goal is to create a more affordable solution that families and care homes can realistically adopt while helping prevent dangerous situations before a fall happens.

Growing up in Hull played a big role in shaping this idea.

“As a kid growing up, my Mom worked as a nurse caring for elderly patients, and sometimes I would go to work with her. That gave me an early look at the challenges older adults face with mobility, independence, and safety,” Smith said. “I’ve always had a strong interest in technology and engineering and spent a lot of time building projects throughout school.”

Later, Smith spent time volunteering at the Anne M. Scully Senior Center in Hull, helping older residents with technology and other small tasks, which helped inspire his interest in building solutions that could help older adults stay safe and independent,” he said.

Early inspiration

A big inspiration for the project came from his “Nana, Ann. When I was in high school, she used a walker, and I spent a lot of time helping take care of her. Seeing the challenges she faced with balance and mobility made me start thinking about how technology could help older adults stay safer and more independent,” Smith recalled.

One thing that stood out to him was that most solutions help people after a fall, “but very few focus on preventing a fall in the first place.”

Since starting the project, Smith has spoken with more than 300 people, including seniors, families, nurses, and care home staff, to better understand the problem and what a real solution would need to look like.

One of the earliest versions was presented at a competition hosted at MIT, where Smith won first place, which helped bring early attention to the idea.

The early version also received local attention and was featured in The Hull Times and on WHDH News in Boston when he was still in high school.

**A WINNING CONCEPT:** Jake Smith’s work on VisionPath, which is designed to help seniors with mobility issues navigate their environments in a safe manner, recently won first prize in the International Entrepreneurship Contest for University Students. [Courtesy photo]

Studying computer engineering

After graduation, Smith made the decision to move to Japan to attend Ritsumeikan University in Osaka, where he studies computer engineering.

“Moving to a completely new country on my own was challenging, but I wanted to push myself to adapt to a new environment and experience a different culture,” Smith said. “A lot of people thought I was a little crazy for deciding to move to Japan right after high school, but it has been an incredible experience.”

While studying in Japan, Smith has continued developing the project into a startup called VisionPath, which focuses on building technology to help prevent falls for older adults.

The idea behind VisionPath is to use optical detection technology to identify hazards in the environment, such as obstacles or dangerous objects that could cause someone to trip or fall.

“The system can alert the user directly through audio cues, familiar family voice prompts, or vibration feedback, and it can also notify caregivers or family members so they have peace of mind knowing their loved one may be approaching something dangerous.”

Smith decided to start building and testing VisionPath in Japan, because that country has the highest percentage of elderly people in the world.

“This makes it an important place to understand the problem and validate real solutions,” Smith said. “Japan also has strong hardware manufacturing and technology ecosystems that make it a great place to develop this type of device.”

Testing the system

Smith and his team have already built an early proof of concept prototype and are planning to begin testing the system with care homes in Japan soon.

“Right now we’re continuing to build the technology and am always looking to connect with people who may want to support the mission, whether through mentorship, partnerships, or introductions to organizations working with seniors,” he said.

Over the past year, VisionPath has begun gaining traction through startup competitions and entrepreneurship programs in Japan.

Smith was recently selected to attend a three-week entrepreneurship program at the University of Oxford sponsored by the Japanese government, where student founders from across Japan were brought together to build and present their companies.

During the program, Smith’s team ended up winning first place at Rocket Pitch Night Kansai, one of the largest startup pitch events in the region.

Smith was selected through the Japanese government’s J-StarX entrepreneurship program, where only 20 participants were chosen out of more than 300 applicants from across Japan.

‘It was a unique experience’

He was also one of the only first-year university students selected, and the only non-Japanese participant in the program.

“It was a unique experience representing Japan as an American student during the entrepreneurship program at the University of Oxford,” Smith said.

During the program, Smith’s team also won first place at an Oxford startup hackathon, and their pitch was selected as the top presentation by professors, investors, and MBA students.

“Representing Japan in Oxford was an incredible experience, and it made me realize how important it is to build stronger connections between the Japanese and American innovation communities,” Smith said. “I hope to help bridge Japan and the United States through entrepreneurship and technology.”

Smith recently received the Dean’s Award at Ritsumeikan University, which recognizes students making outstanding contributions beyond the university. Only five students were selected out of a student body of more than 25,000.

While continuing to build VisionPath, Smith has maintained a 4.0 grade-point average while balancing work with his studies.

While studying in Japan and continuing to build his company, “my Nana sadly passed away. Her experience remains one of the biggest motivations behind why I continue working on this project,” Smith said. “That experience made me want to work on this even more because I want to help seniors stay safe and independent for as long as possible.”

At the same time, Smith has been interviewing care homes in Japan to better understand how technology like this could help prevent elderly falls, which is a major issue affecting seniors around the world,” he said. “My long-term goal is to continue validating the technology in Japan and eventually bring the solution back home to Hull, Boston, and across the United States.”

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