the development of an intelligent health monitoring and emergency response system to support aging-in-place

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This research program is focused on the development and application of computer vision and decision-theoretic algorithms in the domain of healthcare technologies-- specifically, intelligent homes to support older adults. Older adults constitute the fastest growing population group in Canada. Providing support to older adults who want to continue to live independently in their own homes is a growing social concern, especially for those who live alone. Support and assistance is typically required in the forms of task guidance, such as providing reminders on how to complete a particular task, ensuring safety, such as responding to falls and accidents, and health assessment, in particular overall tracking of the person's levels of health and wellness, including level of mobility. To date, we have developed individual systems that can perform these various functions, and have collected data to support their efficacy. However, we have also identified key limitations that need to be addressed, through a more thorough exploration of the required system algorithms and techniques. Our objectives over the next five years is to continue with the development of the health monitoring and emergency response system started during my first Discovery Grant, focusing on improving the system and overcoming the limitations of existing technologies. My scientific goal is to continue to demonstrate the useful application of computer vision, planning algorithms, and other areas of AI (e.g., speech recognition) within this specific domain. Furthermore, we will aim to develop an integrated system incorporating the functions required to support an older adult in the home. This research program is in one of the first attempts to apply sophisticated computer science concepts in this domain. With a better understanding of the techniques that are most effective in these types of systems, older adults may benefit by being given the option to remain in their own homes longer, and help to reduce caregiver burden and stress. The scientific importance of this approach is the development of computer vision, decision-theoretic techniques, and speech recognition, in a unique and highly relevant real-world application.