SMART HOME FOR THE ELDERLY – A
SOLUTION TO INDEPENDENT
LIVING AND HEALTHCARE
Eugene Wu
Principal Engineer and Sr. Quality Consultant,
BioTeknica, Inc., Coral Gables, Florida, USA
Email: ewu@bioteknica.com
METS 2014
The Big Picture
• Aging Population world wide - nearly 7%
of the world’s population is now over 65
years of age.
• By 2050, 1 in 5 person in the world will be
age 60 or older.
• Increasing cost of living - more difficult and
costly each year for the elderly.
• Challenge - 95 percent of US adults aged
65 and older reside in private households.
METS 2014
Cost of Assisted Living
Income &
Cost / Year
Average
Annual
Income
Average
Annual Cost
for Assisted
Living
METS 2014
US
Taiwan
$50,054
NT$ 1,140,271
($38,000)
$42,600
NT$ 300,000
($10,000)
National Statistics, Republic of China (Taiwan)
http://eng.stat.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=3458&CtNode=1597&mp=5
Ambient Assisted Living- Smart Home
• Smart Home is a living environment integrated with
sensors, wireless networks, and other monitoring
devices to a system capable of partially replacing a
human caretaker.
• Inside a Smart Home,
the elderly retain
control of their
environment and
activities to improve
their autonomy,
health, well-being,
and sense of dignity.
METS 2014
Components and Infrastructure
•
•
•
•
Integrated sensors & actuators.
Signal (data) processing and transmitting.
Network.
Monitoring and
supporting.
• Health
professional
intervention.
http://lifesciences.ieee.org/articles/349-ambient-assisted-living-tools-help-older-adults-live-more-independently
METS 2014
Safety Requirements
• Fall detection*
• Gas and fire hazards prevention
• Security
* In US, $30 billion per year in medical cost for fall
related injury
METS 2014
Fall Detection
• Posture Recognition - Computer vision fall
detection (Yu M. et al., IEEE Trans Inf Technol Biomed. 2012 Nov;16(6):1274-86)
• ZigBee - A wireless sensor node worn on the
waist continuously detects fall events (Chih-Ning Huang and
Chia-Tai Chan Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2014, 11, 4233-4248)
• Face Tracking - image processing technique to
compare several images for tracking (Philippe Katz, Michael
Aron, and Ayman Alfalou, 2013 SPIE)
• Video Based - two cameras to determine the
direction of the main axis of the body (Lykele Hazelho, et
al., University of Technology Eindhoven, the Netherlands)
• Smart Phone Based - acts like a pocket-sized
motion laboratory (Lorenzo Chiari, Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und
Geriatrie, 2012)
METS 2014
Radio Wave Tracking – MIT WiTrack
METS 2014
F. Adib, et al., 3D Tracking via Body Radio Reflections Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Network Fire / Security Alarm Systems
http://www.mircom.com/smart-home-automation.html
METS 2014
Health and Wellness Requirements
• Wellness Monitoring
– Wearable
– Non-wearable
• Telemedicine and Telehealth
• Medication Compliance
• Cognition Simulation, Entertainment, and
Social Connectedness
• Wander off: GPS Tracking System
METS 2014
Wellness Monitoring (1 of 3)
• 9Solutions - a bluetooth application
can save activities, call for help, and
send an alarm.
• AIQ Smart Clothing - smart textiles for
vital sign, skin temperature, skin
moisture, and electrophysiological
signals monitoring.
• Metria Wearable Sensor use skinfriendly adhesive for remote health
and wellness, sports and fitness, and
cardiac monitoring (available in the
U.S.)
METS 2014
Wellness Monitoring (2 of 3)
• BodyTel Device include a blood glucose
meter, a blood pressure meter, and
scales with built-in Bluetooth module to
inform doctor.
• Danfoss PolyPower A/S is an electroactive polymer measures human body
motions, breathing, swelling, and
posture.
• Imec's wearable
electroencephalography (EEG) headset
and EKG patch keep tabs on user’s brain
and heart activity.
METS 2014
Wellness Monitoring (3 of 3)
• Moticon wireless sensor insole can
be used in shoes to measure the
distribution and motion parameters
for patients and athletes.
• Nuubo is a new-generation wireless
and remote cardiac monitoring
platform.
• TmG-BMC Muscle Contraction
Sensor monitors muscle fatigue for
injury prevention and rehabilitation
monitoring
METS 2014
AMD Global Telemedicine Devices
• Reliable medical devices deliver superior
quality medical images and data
• Devices are standards-based capable of
integrating with other third party devices
• Devices include:
– Examination Cameras
– Medical Scopes & Camera/Illumination Systems
– Stethoscopes
– Vital Signs Monitors
– ECGs, Spirometers, and Holters
– Retinal Camera
– Ultrasound Probes
http://www.amdtelemedicine.com/telemedicine-equipment/medical-devices.html
METS 2014
Patient at Home
Philips Telehealth
Philips Secure Data Infrastructure
•
METS 2014
Multi-Disciplinary Care Team
Telehealth Nurse
Medication: e-pill Dispenser
• e-pill Med-O-Wheel SMART Portable Automatic Pill
Dipenser (PD2)
• Clinically tested, e-pill Med-O-Wheel SMART (SKU
870715) gives the right
medication at the right time
in the right dose. This is a
portable automatic pill
dispenser and may be
used outside the home.
Features a unique 180 minute
medication window for each dose
(60 minutes silent / 120 minutes alarm - then closed)
http://www.epill.com/medowheel.html
METS 2014
Cognition Simulation and Entertainment
• BrightBrainer™ is a research tool to quantify
the levels of Cognitive Deficit and evaluate the
effect of bimanual Integrative Cognitive
Exercising in individuals with full or partial
upper limb mobility.
METS 2014
http://brightbrainer.com/the-product/
Seniorama
Founded in 2009, Softarama Ltd created
Seniorama™, an innovative senior-friendly user
interface operating system that enables the
elderly and the disabled to utilize basic
computer applications such as Email, Internet,
Photo Gallery, Skype™,
and many other
applications.
METS 2014
Wander off: GPS Tracking System
• A real-time tracker devices that provides
live locational information for family
members to locate their senior.
• The devices can transmit alerts to family
members if a senior wanders off from any
pre-designated safe zones.
• A panic button gives
the senior the ability
to call out for help.
http://www.tracking-system.com/for-consumers/gps-elderly-tracking-system.html
METS 2014
Current Smart Home Studies - US
• MIT’s AgeLab: Focuses on Intelligent Adaptive Devices
for Independent Living.
• University of Florida “Smart Home”: Comprises a fully
furnished living room, kitchen, bedroom and
bathroom, with a wide array of experimental assistiveliving devices
• Aware Home Research Initiative: This is a multidisciplinary research program at Georgia Institute of
Technology that addresses the challenges posed by
future domestic technologies.
• Duke Smart Home Program: The Duke Smart Home
Program is a research-based approach to smart living
sponsored by the Pratt School of Engineering.
http://www.ict-ageing.eu/?page_id=491
METS 2014
Japan
• One of the first demonstration homes, the TRON
Intelligent House, was established in Nishi
Azabu in 1989.
• In 2004, Toyota Dream House PAPI was set up,
though this house emphasized saving energy
and comfort rather than independent living.
• Current home networking infrastructure, the “Net
Kaden” system (”Kaden” means home electrical
appliances), is for electronic control and
monitoring of homes through links with mobile
phone and high-speed broadband systems.
http://www.ict-ageing.eu/?page_id=489
METS 2014
Germany
• inHaus: Established by the Fraunhofer
institute, the inHaus GmbH, and the Ambient
Assisted Living GmbH.
• SmartHome Paderborn: Initiated by a
consortium featuring a number of technology
providers, craft businesses, and ICT
(Information and Communication Technology)
providers.
• OFFIS apartment for older people (ideAAL):
Has the goal of developing an integrated
solution for the ageing society.
http://www.ict-ageing.eu/?page_id=489
METS 2014
Conclusion
• Increasing aging population world wide
requires new solutions for senior care.
• Increasing cost of living has to be
addressed for elderly living.
• Majority of the elderly people reside in
private households promotes in-house
alternative care.
• Smart home is an alternative option to
traditional assisted living.
METS 2014
METS 2014
Q&A
Modern technology savvy generation is better prepared to adopt smart home concept
METS 2014