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A wireless sensor network that can monitor the health of the elderly in their own homes is being developed and tested at the new Pervasive Systems Centre at Southampton University in the UK. The researchers believe the technology will be made available in the next 18 months.
The centre, co-directed by Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi and Professor David De Roure, from the university’s School of Electronics & Computer Science, brings together multidisciplinary expertise, ranging from sensors and wireless communications to computer science theory and practice.
In order to make it possible for elderly individuals to live independently, the researchers are developing low-cost sensor networks to monitor their environment so that changes in health can be detected.
For example, a weight sensor positioned under the bed could detect the individual’s movements throughout the night. A sensor in the bathroom could monitor use of the toilet to pick up signs of digestive problems, and body imaging and temperature sensors could highlight areas of the body that are painful.
“If we image the body and then attach temperature sensors, say, to a chair, the parts of the body that are in pain will radiate infra red and will be picked up by the sensor,” said De Roure.
A prototype will be available within 12 months.
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