WSN to help the elderly
Pervasive computing technology which can monitor the welfare of the elderly will be made available within the next 18 months. The technology is to be developed by the University of Southampton’s new Pervasive Systems Centre which is being launched this month. The Centre, co-directed by Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi and Professor David De Roure, both from the University’s School of Electronics & Computer Science (ECS) brings together multidisciplinary expertise from across the school’s research groups, ranging from sensors and wireless communications to computer science theory and practice.
This combined expertise will make it possible for them to develop a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) which can operate in homes to monitor the health of the elderly. In order to make it possible for such 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 toilet facilities to pick up signs of digestive problems, and body imaging and temperature sensors could highlight areas of the body that are painful.
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