Ultra-Wideband Radar-Based Indoor Activity Monitoring for Elderly Care.

In this paper, we propose an unobtrusive method and architecture for monitoring a person's presence and collecting his/her health-related parameters simultaneously in a home environment. The system is based on using a single ultra-wideband (UWB) impulse-radar as a sensing device. Using UWB radars, we aim to recognize a person and some preselected movements without camera-type monitoring. Via the experimental work, we have also demonstrated that, by using a UWB signal, it is possible to detect small chest movements remotely to recognize coughing, for example. In addition, based on statistical data analysis, a person's posture in a room can be recognized in a steady situation. In addition, we implemented a machine learning technique (k-nearest neighbour) to automatically classify a static posture using UWB radar data. Skewness, kurtosis and received power are used in posture classification during the postprocessing. The classification accuracy achieved is more than 99%. In this paper, we also present reliability and fault tolerance analyses for three kinds of UWB radar network architectures to point out the weakest item in the installation. This information is highly important in the system's implementation.

An Inertial Measurement Unit-Based Wireless System for Shoulder Motion Assessment in Patients with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Validation Pilot Study in a Clinical Setting.

Residual motion of upper limbs in individuals who experienced cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) is vital to achieve functional independence. Several interventions were developed to restore shoulder range of motion (ROM) in CSCI patients. However, shoulder ROM assessment in clinical practice is commonly limited to use of a simple goniometer. Conventional goniometric measurements are operator-dependent and require significant time and effort. Therefore, innovative technology for supporting medical personnel in objectively and reliably measuring the efficacy of treatments for shoulder ROM in CSCI patients would be extremely desirable. This study evaluated the validity of a customized wireless wearable sensors (Inertial Measurement Units-IMUs) system for shoulder ROM assessment in CSCI patients in clinical setting. Eight CSCI patients and eight healthy controls performed four shoulder movements (forward flexion, abduction, and internal and external rotation) with dominant arm. Every movement was evaluated with a goniometer by different testers and with the IMU system at the same time. Validity was evaluated by comparing IMUs and goniometer measurements using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Limits of Agreement (LOA). inter-tester reliability of IMUs and goniometer measurements was also investigated. Preliminary results provide essential information on the accuracy of the proposed wireless wearable sensors system in acquiring objective measurements of the shoulder movements in CSCI patients.