Sensors Monitor Walking Speed To Check Health

MIT researchers work on in-home non-invasive health monitoring technology that can provide an early warning signs of health problems.

22:37 04 May 2017

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have successfully developed a system that measures the walking speed of multiple people with up to 99per cent accuracy. WiGait, a wall-mounted sensor that can be placed in a person’s home, analyses the wireless signals reflected off a person’s body. The information gathered can be used to detect early signs of health problems.

 

Lead author Chen-Yu Hsu said: “This builds on our earlier work measuring breathing and heart rate by analyzing the surrounding wireless signals, without any wearables. We picture a connected world where we can equip our homes to use ambient wireless signals to monitor our health, from tracking metrics related to chronic diseases to alerting us about health emergencies. WiGait’s ability to monitor walking speed, stride length, and changes in mobility habits is a big leap in that direction.

 

“Many of us worry about the health of our parents and grandparents. We see this as filling a need for in-home non-invasive health monitoring that can give us peace of mind about our loved ones’ health. We believe that having a smart device like this that analyzes the wireless signals can address some of the key issues we face in healthcare.”