Bologna Researchers Develop Motion-Measuring System for Seniors, Athletes

If, for example, someone was utilizing the system as an aid to physical therapy, the sensor software could determine when that individual had leaned too far forward, or not far enough, and instruct that person to change position. This could be accomplished with a voice recording, or could be done in conjunction with music on the PDA. If the person were listening to music while exercising, for instance, the music could fade in or out, depending on that person's body position. Whether the system used Bluetooth or ZigBee, the user would need to be within about 10 meters (33 feet) of the PDA, meaning the device would need to be located in the same room as the individual in an indoor setting.

In the second scenario, the sensor was treated as a recording tool, simply tracking movements over a period of time and storing that data to be downloaded later by a caregiver. In the third scenario, information was transmitted to a PDA and then sent on to a remote location, such as a caregiver's server, via the Internet. This not only provided the caregiver with real-time details regarding the patient's status, it could also send an alert if that individual fell and then failed to get back to his or her feet. If a patient were to fall and not stand up, the software in the sensor unit would send an alert to the PDA, which would then pass that alert on to a server, either via Bluetooth or ZigBee.

Lorenzo Chiari, SensAction-AAL project coordinator

The wireless transmission portion of the trial was conducted on approximately 20 elderly individuals at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, at the Robert-Bosch-Krankenhaus research hospital in Germany, and at the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel. Some pilot participants were in a hospital setting, while others took the devices home and were monitored via the wireless communication technology.

Users were enthusiastic about the system, Chiari says. There were about 30 falls during that time, he notes, which were detected by the system and properly transmitted to the appropriate caregivers. Since the pilot's conclusion, Chiari adds, researchers have been studying the results, which show that the system works properly and is ready for broader use. "It's our belief that these kinds of tools offer an advantage. Even the users themselves offered very positive feedback; they recognized that it was a support, and not a cumbersome technology," he says, indicating that the small form factor made the sensor easy to wear and to use. "We are now looking to do a larger clinical study," he states, in Europe, North America or both.

If the group can conduct a larger pilot and obtain the interest of commercial technology providers, Chiari indicates, the system could offer the health-care industry the ability to provide tele-rehabilitation (training and physical therapy), tele-monitoring (storing data regarding a wearer's movements) and tele-care (sending fall data to caregivers). In this way, he says, a caregiver would not be solely reliant on the personal recollections of patients (or their family members) regarding the types of activities that were done, the kinds of falls that may have occurred and whether a patient's movements have been hindered by an injury or illness.

The researchers estimate that the remote monitoring system would cost around €25 ($35) weekly for each patient if used for 20 weeks, since a unit combining the sensors and transmitter would retail for approximately €2,500.