
HOUSTON, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they are designing affordable in-home health monitors for caregivers to monitor the elderly.
Four years ago, University of Houston researchers led by Driss Benhaddou began using off-the-shelf technology to develop a wireless health-monitoring system in conjunction with the Abramson Center for the Future of Health and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.
"The technology uses processor boards found in a variety of electronics, which cost only about $70 each. You could wire a whole home for about $1,000," Benhaddou said in a statement. "Our system will allow for such things as vital sign monitoring and location tracking using low-cost technologies and offering fast response times for caregivers."
Benhaddou said a patient whose movement is being monitored -- perhaps because of Alzheimer's or dementia -- can wear the quarter-size sensor on a belt or piece of clothing. A patient being monitored for vital signs -- such as temperature, heart beat and oxygen level -- needs to wear the sensor on his or her skin.
The body sensor communicates with sensors in various rooms and with a hub, which would be connected to the Internet and communicate with a caregiver's smartphone or hand held computer -- a personal digital assistant. Benhaddou said the system needs to be simple enough so caregivers can do the installations on their own.
|
|
|
| Additional Health News Stories | |
CAMBRIDGE, Ohio, Feb. 9 (UPI) --
An Ohio father was charged Thursday with felony domestic violence for allegedly putting his 3-year-old son in a clothes dryer and turning it on.
|
DENVER, Feb. 9 (UPI) --
Colorado news anchor Kyle Dyer has undergone reconstructive surgery after being bitten in the face by an Argentine mastiff during a broadcast.
|
Man charged for throwing pennies at car ... Martha Washington's dress fabric for sale ... Mixer heist gets mix of probation, service ... 'Survivor' invades Northwestern classroom ... Watercooler stories from UPI.
|
ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 10 (UPI) --
Greek workers went on strike Friday, the second time this week they walked off their jobs to protest the country's new austerity programs.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption