Cheil's mobile app is a stroke of genius

The Hong Kong Stroke Association – Fatal Recognition

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Agency Cheil Worldwide/Hong Kong

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Credits

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Agency Cheil Worldwide/Hong Kong
Executive Creative Director Paul Chan
Art Director Sam Chow

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What makes a genuinely innovative idea? Sometimes, it involves inventing something brand new; other times, it’s using existing technology in a different and unexpected way, like the clever clogs from Cheil Hong Kong in their campaign for the Hong Kong Stroke Association.

According to WHO figures, someone has a stroke every two seconds. For more than six million people each year, the consequences are fatal; while two thirds of those who survive are left with brain damage or permanent disability.

The key to safety is spotting the early warning signs—with the most common warning sign of a stroke being face-drooping. But since some strokes are less severe than others, the 'tells' are incredibly hard for the human eye to detect.

Working with The Hong Kong Stroke Association, Cheil saw a way to make a difference using an unlocking feature that’s already built into most phones. Called Fatal Recognition (see what they did there?) the safety scan app uses facial recognition technology to detect early warning signs of a potentially fatal stroke.

With the average person unlocking their phone up to 120 times a day, now, every time a user scans to unlock, a computer algorithm will detect for minute signs of face-drooping — signs that are unrecognisable to the human eye. If an early warning sign is detected, the user will receive an alert to call emergency services while simultaneously alerting that user’s pre-set emergency contact.

Talk about a solution to a problem that's literally staring you in the face. Now, no-one needs to feel bad about checking their phone for the umpteenth time...