Wearable Physiological Sensors For Aging Research

摘要2004年，美国国家老龄化研究所（NIA）和美国国家生物医学成像与生物工程研究所（NIBIB）召开了一次专家会议，探讨成像和传感器技术在老龄化研究中的应用。该会议的结果确定了对微创、非侵入性、可穿戴和具有成本效益的设备的巨大需求，这些设备可以融入老年人的日常生活。这种传感器技术将为研究人员和临床医生提供有关衰老过程中生理参数变化和变化率的重要信息。这些数据还可用于理解和模拟与健康和年龄有关的事件/事件。该项目的目标是创建一套用于生理数据收集的工具，旨在在家庭环境的自然环境中进行衰老研究。该系统将成为研究人员的宝贵工具，并有可能为临床医生提供衰老过程变化的早期诊断。维拉·诺瓦克博士是SAFE（老年人晕厥和跌倒）实验室主任和哈佛医学院医学助理教授。SAFE实验室是作为美国国立卫生研究院资助的贝斯以色列女执事医疗中心的一般临床研究中心的一部分建立的，正在研究衰老和与年龄相关的神经退行性疾病对脑血管和运动系统的影响。实验室的设置可以同时评估步态（足部压力，压力中心），自主神经系统，心血管和呼吸功能，肌电图，以及正常步态时的大脑和外周血流量。对生理信号的详细分析使研究人员能够评估衰老对适应直立姿势和行走的影响。在第一阶段的SBIR中，Koronis生物医学技术公司提出了一种在家庭环境中实施这项研究的实用方法。SBIR第一阶段项目的目标是开发一种研究工具，提供微创、非侵入性、可穿戴和具有成本效益的设备，这些设备可以融入老年人的日常生活。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) convened a meeting of experts in 2004 to explore opportunities for collaborative research in the area of imaging and sensor technology as it applies to aging research. The outcomes of that meeting identified a significant need for minimally-invasive, non-intrusive, wearable, and cost-effective devices that can be integrated into the daily lives of the elderly. Such sensor technology would provide researchers and clinicians vital information as to the variations and rates of changes in physiological parameters during the slow progression of the aging process. This data could also be utilized in understanding and modeling health and age-related events/episodes. The goal of this project is to create a set of tools for physiologic data collection aimed at aging research in the natural setting of the home environment. The proposed system will be a valuable tool for researchers and has the potential to provide early diagnosis of changes in the aging process for clinicians. Dr. Vera Novak is Director of the SAFE (Syncope and Falls in the Elderly) Laboratory and Assistant Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The SAFE laboratory, which is established as a part of NIH-funded General Clinical Research Center at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is studying the effects of aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders on cerebrovascular and locomotor systems. The set-up at the laboratory enables simultaneous evaluation of gait (feet pressure, center of pressure), autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory functions, electromyography, and cerebral and peripheral blood flow during normal gait. Detailed analysis of physiological signals enable researchers to evaluate the effects of aging on adaptation to upright posture and walking. In this phase I SBIR, Koronis Biomedical Technologies proposes to demonstrate a practical method to implement this research in home environments. The goal of this SBIR phase I project is to develop a research tool that provides minimally- invasive, non-intrusive, wearable, and cost-effective devices that can be integrated into the daily lives of the elderly.