Researchers at the University of Missouri have collaborated with an independent living community, TigerPlace to monitor changes in the health of its residents for the a number of years now using motion-sensing technology.
The study is being conducted to identify the fall risk and onset of illness early in seniors. The team of researchers has identified two devices normally used for security and video gaming systems as effective in monitoring and identifying the indicators.
Marjorie Skubic, University of Missouri-Columbia
The professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering, Dr Marjorie Skubic is using the Microsoft Kinect along with a motion-sensing camera to observe behavioral and routine modifications in the senior patients of TigerPlace. The doctoral student who is also working on the same project with Dr Skubic, Erik Stone stated that the Microsoft Kinect uses IR light to create an image capable of providing data in silhouette. As opposed to a photograph or a video log, the silhouette data reduces privacy concerns that the seniors’ may have.
Doctoral student Liang Liu is working in tandem with Mihail Popescu, assistant professor in the College of Engineering is planning to design a fall detection system that can detect changes in movements such as bending or walking using a Doppler radar. The system can help determine the risk for falls. Since different parts of the human body creates one-of-a-kind images on Doppler radar, by combining different body part motions, the image of a fall can also be recognized.
Liang Liu stated that the chance of death or serious injury is higher if the adults don’t receive immediate help after a fall. Liu explained that by devising a system that can determine a fall, emergency personnel can be instantaneously informed and can thereby better the chance of recovery and survival of the injured patient.
The motion-sensing systems make available automated data to alert the care providers and are being currently used at the TigerPlace community in Columbia.