SBIR Phase I: Contact-free RF-based tracking and fall sensor for aging-in-place

SBIR 第一阶段：基于射频的非接触式跟踪和跌落传感器，用于原位老化

• 批准号: 1315685
• 负责人: Joey Wilson
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Xandem Technology LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1315685&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Contact; free; RF

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a revolutionary new sensor for aging-in-place and assisted living which uses a network of radio frequency (RF) transceivers as a sensor in a home to track a person?s location and detect falls. The sensor is contact-free, i.e., a person does not need to remember to wear it in order to be monitored. The system monitors links for changes in signal strength which indicate a person being near the line between two transceivers. Algorithms use the link information to infer the location of a person. With transceivers at two different heights, algorithms can distinguish whether a person is standing, sitting, or laying on the floor, and use the speed at which someone moves to the floor to detect a dangerous fall. Room-level tracking can also be used to look for unusual patterns which indicate physical or cognitive decline. This project will develop methods to minimize deployment time and expertise. It will develop novel algorithms that allow for a lower density of transceivers in the system, and still achieve room-level tracking and fall detection accuracy. Live demonstrations will be conducted with potential investors and customers.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the ability for the sensor to increase the ability of an elder to safely age-in-place in their preferred living environment, benefitting them and reducing the costs of nursing home care. Unfortunately, many older people fall each year, often when alone, resulting in long delays before help arrives. The fear of falling and being unable to get help is a reason many enter nursing care. Older adults at risk for cognitive decline (e.g., dementia) could live independently longer with sensing systems that help caregivers monitor their well-being. Beyond aging-in-place, these technologies have application in hospitals; smart-building systems for automation and energy efficiency; security systems; retail analytics; and generally for context- and location-aware computing applications. Existing technologies use (1) wearable sensors, which are often forgotten, (2) video camera surveillance, which is seen as too invasive of privacy, or (3) infrared motion sensors, which do not detect falls and are prone to false alarms. In contrast, the proposed sensor does not need to be worn, reliably senses falls, and is privacy-preserving. Our sensor provides capabilities currently unavailable, and will be bought by aging-in-place monitoring and system integrator companies.

这个小型企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目将开发一种用于居家养老和辅助生活的革命性新型传感器，该传感器使用射频 (RF) 收发器网络作为家庭中的传感器来跟踪人的位置并检测跌倒。 该传感器是非接触式的，即人们无需记住佩戴它即可受到监控。 该系统监视链路的信号强度变化，这表明有人靠近两个收发器之间的线路。 算法使用链接信息来推断一个人的位置。 通过两个不同高度的收发器，算法可以区分一个人是站着、坐着还是躺在地板上，并利用人移动到地板上的速度来检测危险的跌倒。房间级别的跟踪还可用于寻找表明身体或认知能力下降的异常模式。 该项目将开发尽量减少部署时间和专业知识的方法。 它将开发新颖的算法，允许系统中收发器的密度较低，并且仍然实现房间级跟踪和跌倒检测精度。 将与潜在投资者和客户进行现场演示。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是传感器能够提高老年人在他们喜欢的生活环境中安全养老的能力，使他们受益并降低疗养院护理的成本。不幸的是，每年都有许多老年人跌倒，通常是在独自一人时跌倒，导致救援人员长时间延误。 害怕跌倒和无法获得帮助是许多人进入护理机构的原因。 具有认知能力下降（例如痴呆症）风险的老年人可以通过传感系统帮助护理人员监测他们的健康状况，从而独立生活得更久。 除了就地养老之外，这些技术还可以应用于医院；实现自动化和能源效率的智能建筑系统；安全系统；零售分析；通常用于上下文和位置感知计算应用程序。现有技术使用（1）可穿戴传感器，这经常被遗忘，（2）视频摄像头监控，这被认为过于侵犯隐私，或（3）红外运动传感器，它不能检测跌倒并且容易产生误报。 相比之下，所提出的传感器不需要佩戴，可以可靠地感知跌倒，并且可以保护隐私。 我们的传感器提供了目前无法提供的功能，并将被就地老化监控和系统集成商公司购买。