Automated System for Accurate Determination of Activities of Daily Living for Independently-Living Persons with Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias

项目摘要 在第一阶段SBIR项目中，ASTER实验室将开发和评估一种创新系统， 准确检测阿尔茨海默病患者和相关患者的日常生活活动（ADL） 痴呆症它将解决目前需要装备护理人员和卫生保健提供者，包括医生 和认知康复治疗师，有可靠的信息，病人的持续能力，以执行这些 重要活动。这些能力的确认将直接支持一个功能的能力 独立的生活方式，同时根据疾病情况就干预措施和护理水平作出知情决定 进展据估计，到2020年，有580万美国人患有阿尔茨海默氏症。其中近三分之一 独居者的健康状况比同居者差。 强烈建议对ADL进行持续评估，以确定痴呆的诊断和 疾病随着时间的推移。现有的和建议的方法，以自动化这一评估在家里有 从相机或基于视觉的传感器到基于信标的信号处理技术。但这些 由于隐私问题、准确性差、有限的 覆盖面和重大基础设施改建的需求。常见的商业活动跟踪器有 主要集中在健身活动上，并且通常依赖于非谨慎的可穿戴设备，由于 不熟悉，可能是痴呆症患者无法接受的。临床研究表明，干预措施包括 补偿性记忆技术和设备可能有助于预防或延迟痴呆症的发作， 功能独立。使用手动和数字记忆笔记本，帮助患者记录 某些活动已经显示出巨大的潜力。然而，有记忆障碍的老年人， 痴呆症可能会有不准确的回忆一整天所做的活动的风险， 与这些干预措施的最新数字实施进行互动。未满足的需求存在于以下能力中： 那些照顾这些人，以获得可核实的信息，有关活动是否完成， 患者报告的时间，或者根本没有。ASTER实验室提出的Activlog系统利用智能处理 WiFi、GPS、惯性和音频传感器数据，这些数据来自一个隐藏在鞋垫里的小型硬件套件， 使用高精度定位和多传感器关联， 持续监测和检测ADL。在第一阶段，将组装原型系统，具有可行性 通过与护理人员、医生和 痴呆症患者的认知康复治疗师。设备的活动分类精度将 由ASTER实验室的工程师穿着原型鞋垫进行定时实验。第一阶段测试将 为第二阶段计划的开始提供成功标准，该计划将包括一项全面的人类研究， 在家庭和独立生活环境中的操作系统，以确定这种方法的有效性。

Project Abstract In this Phase I SBIR project, ASTER Labs will develop and evaluate an innovative system to automatically and accurately detect Activities of Daily Living (ADL) performed by persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. It will address a current need to equip caregivers and health care providers, including physicians and cognitive rehabilitation therapists, with reliable information on patients’ ongoing abilities to perform these important activities. The confirmation of these abilities will directly support the capability of a functioning independent lifestyle, while producing informed decisions on interventions and level of care based on disease progression. An estimated 5.8 million Americans in 2020 live with Alzheimer’s dementia. Nearly a third of these individuals live alone and are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes than cohabitating persons. Ongoing assessment of ADL is highly recommended for establishing diagnosis of dementia and progression of the disease over time. Existing and proposed approaches to automate this assessment in the home have ranged from cameras or vision-based sensors to beacon-based signal processing techniques. However, these approaches have been subject to limitations and critique due to privacy concerns, poor accuracy, limited coverage, and requirements of significant infrastructure alterations. Common commercial activity trackers have concentrated primarily on fitness activities, and typically rely on non-discreet wearable devices that, due to unfamiliarity, may be unacceptable to dementia patients. Clinical research has indicated interventions involving compensatory memory techniques and devices may help prevent or delay dementia onset, and preserve functional independence. Use of both manual and digital memory notebooks to help patients record when they performed certain activities have shown significant promise. However, seniors with memory impairment and dementia may risk inaccurate recollection of activities performed throughout the day, and have faced difficulty interacting with recent digital implementations of these interventions. An unmet need exists in the ability of those caring for these individuals to receive verifiable information on whether the activity was completed at the time reported by the patient, or at all. ASTER Labs’ proposed Activlog system leverages intelligent processing of WiFi, GPS, inertial, and audio sensor data from a small hardware suite concealed in a shoe insole, unnoticeable to the wearer, that uses high-precision location and multi-sensor association to accurately and continuously monitor and detect ADL. In Phase I, the prototype system will be assembled, with feasibility demonstrated by functional evaluation conducted through a focus group study with caregivers, physicians, and cognitive rehabilitation therapists of patients with dementia. Activity classification accuracy of the device will be determined in timed experiments by ASTER Labs’ engineers wearing the prototype insoles. Phase I testing will provide the success criteria for the start of the Phase II program, which will include a human study of the fully- operational system in home and independent living settings to establish the efficacy of this approach.