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

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种革命性的新传感器，用于就地老化和辅助生活，它使用射频（RF）收发器网络作为家中的传感器来跟踪一个人。的位置和检测福尔斯。 传感器是非接触式的，即，人不需要为了被监视而记得佩戴它。 该系统监测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，并使用某人移动到地板上的速度来检测危险的跌倒。房间水平跟踪也可用于寻找指示身体或认知下降的不寻常模式。 该项目将制定方法，以尽量减少部署时间和专业知识。 它将开发新的算法，允许系统中的收发器密度较低，并且仍然实现房间级跟踪和跌倒检测精度。 现场演示将与潜在的投资者和客户进行。该项目的更广泛的影响/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，使他们受益并降低养老院护理的成本。不幸的是，每年都有许多老年人摔倒，通常是独自一人，导致在帮助到达之前的长时间延迟。 害怕跌倒和无法得到帮助是许多人进入护理的原因。 有认知能力下降风险的老年人（例如，痴呆症）可以通过帮助护理人员监测其健康状况的传感系统独立生活更长时间。 除了就地老化之外，这些技术还可应用于医院;用于自动化和能源效率的智能建筑系统;安全系统;零售分析;以及通常用于上下文和位置感知计算应用。现有技术使用（1）可穿戴传感器，这通常被遗忘，（2）视频摄像机监控，这被视为过于侵犯隐私，或（3）红外运动传感器，这不会检测到福尔斯，并且容易出现错误警报。 相比之下，所提出的传感器不需要被佩戴，可靠地感测福尔斯，并且是隐私保护的。 我们的传感器提供了目前无法提供的功能，将被现场老化监测和系统集成公司购买。

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.