MPATIX - co-designed and validated sensor-instrumented ‘smart’ socks to improve emotional self-regulation and behaviour that challenges in adults with learning disabilities

英国大约有150万人有学习障碍（Mencap， 2020年）。其中多达40%的人表现出具有挑战性的行为（国家健康与护理卓越研究所，2015年）。这种行为包括攻击性、自残、退缩以及破坏性行为。它还可能包括暴力、纵火或性虐待，并可能使该人接触刑事司法系统。Milbotix正在开发MPATIX智能袜子，它可以像普通袜子一样穿着，但使用最先进的技术来识别穿着者的痛苦。这款袜子是英国布里斯托机器人实验室（Bristol Robotics Laboratory）的一项科学研究成果，它含有电子传感器，可以监测穿着者的脉搏、皮肤温度、汗液和运动，以及一种先进的机器学习算法，可以准确地检测到穿着者何时焦虑、沮丧或疼痛。早期识别身体和情绪困扰状态有助于学习障碍患者制定有效的应对策略，更好地自我调节情绪。它还可以帮助护理人员识别和消除环境中的痛苦来源。这个为期6个月的项目旨在证明MPATIX智能袜子的可行性，它是一种有效的解决方案，可以改善有学习障碍的成年人的早期发现和行为管理。

There are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK (Mencap, 2020). Up to 40% of these people display behaviour that challenges (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2015). This behaviour includes aggression, self-injury, withdrawal, and disruptive or destructive behaviour. It can also include violence, arson or sexual abuse, and may bring the person into contact with the criminal justice system.Milbotix is developing MPATIX smart socks which are worn like normal socks but use state-of-the-art technology to recognise when the wearer is in distress. Grounded in scientific research at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (Bristol, UK), the socks contain electronic sensors that monitor the wearer's pulse, skin temperature, sweat, and movement, and an advanced machine learning algorithm that can accurately detect when the wearer is anxious, frustrated, or in pain.Early identification of states of physical and emotional distress could assist people with learning disabilities to develop effective coping strategies and better self-regulate their emotions. It could also help carers identify and eliminate sources of distress in the environment. This 6-month project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of the MPATIX smart socks as an effective solution for improving the early detection and management of behaviour that challenges in adults with learning disabilities.