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

电子秤是一种被动式体重监测系统，可以在人们每次进入或离开床时检测他们的体重。 E-scale最初是为轮椅使用者和其他无法站在典型浴室秤上的人设计的，是一种廉价的解决方案，可以经常跟踪任何人的体重。 E-scale的数据是无线的，可以在任何电子设备上访问。 潜在的电子秤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。电子秤还可以服务于最近做过手术的人或其他可能需要经常监测体重以检测药物剂量变化或其病情潜在并发症的人的更广泛的市场。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重，以确定即使是细微的体重变化（在不到3天的时间内增加了3磅）。体重对每个人来说都是一个重要的生物指标，但对那些有医疗条件的人来说往往更重要。 然而，由于缺乏可访问的技术，这些人最难跟踪他们的体重。电子秤项目的目标是开发一个系统，用于无法站在浴室秤上的人的家庭体重跟踪。电子秤由放置在床腿下的冰球状设备中的传感器组成，每次进入或离开床时都会称重。算法分析传感器数据，并能够检测和分离床上多个人的重量，精度为+/-1磅。然后，这些数据被发送到云端，以便在个人自己或护理人员的电子设备上查看。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一个组成部分进行评估。 如果电子秤被发现有用，它将被商业化，并面向轮椅使用者、其他难以使用浴室秤的人以及护理和辅助生活设施。

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.