I-Corps: Customer Discovery for Embedded Scale (E-Scale) system

电子秤是一种被动的体重监测系统，可以在人们每次上床或下床时检测他们的体重。e秤最初是为轮椅使用者和其他不能站在典型的浴室称上的人设计的，它是一个廉价的解决方案，适合任何人频繁地跟踪体重。E-scale的数据是无线的，可以在他们的任何电子设备上访问。电子秤的潜在市场包括无法独立站立的人在家中使用，以及在护理和辅助生活设施中使用，以跟踪居民的体重。电子体重秤还可以服务于更广泛的市场，包括最近做过手术的人，或者需要经常监测体重以检测药物剂量变化或潜在并发症的人。这些人群包括充血性心力衰竭患者（美国有500万人），美国心脏病学会建议他们每天称一次体重，以确定即使是细微的体重变化（3天内体重增加3磅）。体重对每个人来说都是一项重要的生物学指标，但对那些已有疾病的人来说，体重往往更为重要。然而，由于缺乏可用的技术，这些人在追踪体重方面遇到了最大的麻烦。E-scale项目的目标是开发一种系统，可以让无法站在浴室称上的人在家中追踪体重。e -秤由装在冰球状装置中的传感器组成，这些装置被放置在床腿下面，每次人们进出床时都给他们称重。算法分析传感器数据，能够检测和分离床上多人的重量，精度为+/- 1磅。然后，这些数据被发送到云端，供个人或护理人员的电子设备查看。该设备的原型目前正在进行家庭可用性测试，并将作为最近由瘫痪退伍军人协会资助的轮椅使用者减肥研究的组成部分进行评估。如果发现e秤有用，它将商业化，并向轮椅使用者、其他使用浴室秤有困难的人、护理和辅助生活设施销售。

The E-scale is a passive weight monitoring system which can detect the weight of people every time they enter or exit the bed. Originally designed for wheelchair users and others who cannot stand on a typical bathroom scale, the E-scale is an inexpensive solution for frequent weight tracking of anyone. The data from E-scale is wireless and is accessible on any of their electronic devices. Potential E-scale markets include in-home use by people who are unable to stand unassisted and use in nursing and assistive living facilities to track the weight of residents. The E-scale may also serve the broader markets of people who have had recent surgeries or others who may need to monitor weight frequently to detect changes for medication dosage or for potential complications of their condition. These segments include people with congestive heart failure (5 million in US) that are advised by the American College of Cardiology to weigh themselves on a daily basis to determine even subtle weight changes (3 pounds gained in less than 3 days). Weight is an important biological metric for everyone, but is often even more important for those people with existing medical conditions. However, due to lack of accessible technology, these are the people who have the most trouble tracking their weight. The goal of the E-scale project is to develop a system for in-home weight-tracking of people who cannot stand on a bathroom scale. The E-scale consists of sensors contained in puck-like devices that are placed under each leg of a bed and weighs someone every time they enter or exit the bed. Algorithms analyze the sensor data and are able to detect and separate the weights of multiple people in the bed with an accuracy of +/- one pound. This data is then sent to the cloud for viewing on an individual's own or a caregiver's electronic devices. The prototype of this device is currently being evaluated with in-home usability testing and will also be evaluated as an integral part of a weight loss study for wheelchair users recently funded by the Paralyzed Veterans Association. If the E-scale is found to be useful, it will be commercialized and marketed towards wheelchair users, other people who have difficulty using bathroom scales, and nursing and assistive living facilities.