A silent home device
that senses
unnoticed deaths.

Is it?
We hear this often.

Wouldn’t it be better to prevent these situations in the first place? With smartwatches, apps, cameras, or tracking systems? Yes, prevention is important. But these technologies have existed for decades and still, people die unnoticed in their homes.
Because many don’t wear a smartwatch. Or use an app. Or want to be tracked.
Ask yourself honestly:
Would you use an app everyday to signal, that you are still alive?

IN MEMORIAM doesn’t aim to replace preventive care or policing.
It offers something else: a quiet invitation to notice each other again. To take shared responsibility, instead of outsourcing it entirely. Because dignity doesn’t end with life.
And care doesn’t start with a smartwatch.

And if this webpage alone made you care a bit more about the community around you - that is already enough!

This is dystopian!

A Growing Urban Challenge

In our increasingly connected yet isolated world, undetected deaths in urban apartments have become a silent crisis affecting thousands of families each year.

Urban Isolation

Not just the elderly.
Social disconnection means many people live alone with limited regular contact.
Up to 50% of those who die in solitude are under 40 years old. Suicide, accidents, drug abuse — there are many causes of death in isolation.

Without regular check-ins, deaths can go unnoticed for days or even weeks — often leaving it to loved ones to make the devastating discovery, and causing lasting trauma for families and friends.

Emotional Impact

Response Complications

The longer a body remains undiscovered, the harder it becomes to determine what happened — putting added pressure on emergency services, investigators, and social workers. Additionally, weeks of sanitation, renovation, and temporary loss of housing often follow.

How
In MEMORIAM Works

how humans dissolve into scent after death
*Source_A. Williams / Selection from hundreds of fragrances

timeline

Fresh corpse
About 2 hours after death, rigor mortis begins / the body still barely smells

Formation of gases
The body bloats because gases are produced by the activity of bacteria in the soft tissues

Start of decomposition
Penetrating odor because the gases now
escape completely to the outside

Progressed decomposition
The strong odor of decomposition decreases again, but is still clearly perceptible

Skeletonization
As the bones lie longer, the smell of the body
disappears completely

time window/ detection
by IN MEMORIAM

Hexanal_smell of freshly mown grass

detecting volatile organic compounds

Dimethyldisulfide_
smell of cooked cabbage

Indole_fecal like odor

Butanol_wine-like odor

Tuluol_solvent / aromatic odour

Trimethylamine_
smell of old fish

what it does not do

no cameras or visual monitoring
no audio recording or listening
no motion tracking or surveillance

Only chemical analysis with no personal data collection or transmission: Advanced chemical sensors detect specific compounds released during human decomposition, providing reliable indication while filtering out false positives.

I care about this.

In Memoriam is an early-stage project exploring how we respond to death in solitude. Early voices matter — we’re gauging interest for a potential Kickstarter or pilot. We’ll keep you updated and thank early supporters with priority access.

*We respect your privacy. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. First responses can take up to 1 day as we don´t operate with an automated mail system.

Tell us what matters to you

How does in memoriam protect privacy?
In Memoriam uses only chemical sensors - no cameras, microphones, or motion detectors. It detects specific decomposition gases that indicate biological processes. No personal data is collected or transmitted.

What about false positives?
The device is calibrated to detect specific gas concentrations and patterns unique to human decomposition. It filters out common household odors and requires sustained detection over time before alerting.

Who receives the alerts?
In Memoriam doesn’t notify authorities directly. Instead, it activates a discreet signal — like a shared entrance lamp — to alert a trusted contact. This might be a neighbor, building manager, caregiver, or simply someone the resident assigns. The system creates a quiet prompt for care. Even where traditional community is missing.

For some, that signal reaches an entire house; for others, it's a single friend who checks in. During early research, people strongly rejected apps and automated messages — they felt too invasive, too easy to ignore, or too emotionally overwhelming.

How is it installed and maintained?
In Memoriam mounts like a standard smoke detector and requires minimal maintenance. Battery life is 2+ years, with low-battery alerts. Professional installation support is available.

What´s the response protocol?
The device enables faster welfare checks and emergency response. It doesn't replace human judgment but provides early indication.