ADT releases emergency response device developed by Boca’s MobileHelp

ADT Corp.'s year-old health business grew this week when it launched an emergency response device developed by another Boca Raton firm, MobileHelp.

The On-The-Go Emergency Response System is a small, wearable mobile device that allows users to press a button for emergency assistance, no matter where they are.

"We now have GPS capability, so we have your exact location," said Don Boerema, who leads ADT Health. "We can se

The long-term goal is to link the company's health devices to ADT Pulse, the company's smart-home product that lets users control lights, thermostats and other devices via smartphone.

"I can notify your next-door neighbor [when there's a health emergency]," Boerema said. "I can immediately unlock the front door. I can turn on the lights and take a video clip. … I can be quicker from a response standpoint."

The $3.4 billion security systems firm (NYSE: ADT) has boosted its new health business by buying technology made by MobileHelp, one of the nation's fastest-growing firms.

MobileHelp, based in Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, developed ADT Health's in-home medical alert system as well as the On-The-Go device. The firm is the fifth fastest-growing company in South Florida and ranks 111th in the country, according to the Inc. 5000.

The MobileHelp team wanted to update the idea of the personal emergency response system. They felt that companies such as Life Alert, known for its advertising catchphrase "I've fallen and I can't get up," hadn't made the most of 21st-century mobile technology.