STTR Phase I: Advanced analytics for health progression monitoring and fall detection in a novel home health monitoring system

该小型企业技术转让第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将包括为在家中独立生活的老年人（通常患有严重的慢性病并产生大量医疗费用）提供负担得起的联网家庭护理，从而显著提高医疗质量并减轻现有医疗资源的负担。 该项目不仅将减轻家庭护理人员的负担，他们经常放弃工作为家中的老年人提供免费护理，而且还将允许退休社区，记忆护理单位和辅助生活设施等组织远程监控多名患者，从而减少对过度劳累的专业护理人员的需求。该项目还旨在克服目前家庭健康监测技术的缺陷，通过使用先进的分析和尖端传感器技术，采取更全面的方法提供预防性护理，这些技术是负担得起的，所有人都可以使用。（人口老龄化的迅速发展）面临许多发达国家和新兴国家，包括美国（婴儿潮一代的老龄化）和中国（由于以前的独生子女政策而形成的反向4-2-1家庭金字塔）。尽管健康状况不佳，但大多数老年人更喜欢在家中独立生活，因此当前医疗保健技术的重点已经从传统的临床护理转向老年人的“在家”护理。拟议项目将为长者护理开发一套独特的技术和服务模式的智能互联家居监控系统，包括：（1）可负担和非侵入性的家居移动的健康技术，配备可穿戴的人体和物体活动传感器，用于监控与健康相关的运动和日常活动，以及使用BLE的具有成本效益的预配置家庭网关（蓝牙低功耗）和3G通信;（2）用于跌倒检测、健康进展监测和患者健康异常检测的高级移动的健康分析算法和警报;以及（3）全面的患者健康活动门户和对报告用户活动和健康状态以及与家庭成员互动的支持。总体目标是使老年人在家养老更容易，更便宜，更安全。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will include providing affordable connected home care for senior citizens (often with severe chronic conditions and incurring significant medical expenses) living independently at home, resulting in significant improvements in healthcare quality and a reduced burden on existing healthcare resources. This project will not only decrease the burden on family caregivers, who often give up their jobs to provide free care for senior citizens at home, but will also allow organizations such as retirement communities, memory care units and assisted living facilities to monitor multiple patients remotely, thus reducing the need for overworked professional caregivers. This project also aims to overcome deficits present in current home health monitoring technologies by taking a more holistic approach to providing preventive care by using advanced analytics and cutting edge sensor technology that is affordable and accessible to all.The proposed project aims to overcome a pressing societal challenge (the burgeoning aging population) facing many developed and emerging countries, including the U.S. (the aging baby boomers) and China (the reverse 4-2-1 family pyramid due to the former one-child policy). Despite failing health, most senior citizens prefer to live independently at home and hence the focus of current healthcare technologies has shifted from traditional clinical care to "at-home" care for senior citizens. The proposed project will develop a smart and connected home monitoring system for senior care that is unique in its technology and service model including: (1) affordable and non-invasive home-based mobile health technology with wearable human and object activity sensors for monitoring health-related motion and daily activities and a cost-effective pre-configured home gateway using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and 3G communication; (2) advanced mobile health analytics algorithms and alerts for fall detection, health progression monitoring, and patient health anomaly detection; and (3) a comprehensive patient health activity portal and support for reporting user activity and health status and engaging with family members. The overall goal is to make aging at home easier, less expensive, and safer for senior citizens.