Browsing Category: Seniors

Gait sensor predicts senior falls

University of Illinois professors Bruce Schatz and David Buchner have developed a system to predict senior fall risk using motion sensors that measure walking patterns. 67 women over 60 were tested on walking ability,  detailed past annual falls, and wore an accelerometer for one week. The analysis of device data and reported history enabled the […]

Tony Chahine on human presence, reimagined | ApplySci @ Stanford

Myant‘s Tony Chahine reimagined human presence at ApplySci’s recent Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech conference at Stanford: Join ApplySci at the 9th Wearable Tech + Digital Health + Neurotech Boston conference on September 24, 2018 at the MIT Media Lab.  Speakers include:  Rudy Tanzi – Mary Lou Jepsen – George Church – Roz Picard – […]

Wall sensor monitors walking speed, stride to track health

MIT’s Dina Katabi, Chen-Yu Hsu, and colleagues have developed WiGait, a wall sensor that detects walking speed and stride to monitor health. This builds on previous MIT research which showed that radio signals could track breathing and heart rate, without wearables. The  system works by transmitting low-power radio signals and analyzing how they reflect off  bodies within a […]

Sensors inform skilled nursing care

IBM has partnered with Avamere skilled nursing facilities to sudy the use of cognitive computing to improve caregiver knowledge and actions. By embedding sensors that gather physical and environmental data in  senior living facilities, Avamere hopes to reduce hospital admission rates. Patient movement, air quality, gait analysis and other fall risk factors, personal hygiene, sleeping […]

Alexa solidifies NLP’s role in smart homes, cars. Is senior care next?

Amazon’s Alexa is the deserved  star of CES. Lights, thermostats, air purifiers, cars, refrigerators, other appliances, and baby monitors are examples of interfaces solidifying the natural voice processing-driven future of the world. Amazon now has the opportunity to enhance the lives of those aging in place.  Its development of senior citizen focused applications is lagging.  Alexa has the […]

Sensors + robotics + AI for safer aging in place

IBM and rice University are developing MERA — a Waston enabled robot meant to help seniors age in place. The system comprises a Pepper robot  interface, Watson, and Rice’s CameraVitals project, which calculates vital signs by recording video of a person’s face.  Vitals are measured multiple times each day. Caregivers are informed if the the camera and/or accelerometer detect […]

Antibody dramatically reduces amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s patient study

A potential game-changer in the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease has been successfully trialled. Biogen developed aducanumab was found to almost completely clear the visible signs of Alzheimer’s disease from the brain. 165 patient brains were scanned as they were given the drug. After a year, almost all of the amyloid plaques appeared to have disappeared from those given […]