Agitation, aggression monitoring in dementia could get Kinect-ed

Jan. 22, 2014
An international team of researchers postulate that the Microsoft Kinect gaming console's technology could be used to track dementia patients' movements and voice patterns noninvasively, focusing on the phase of the illness in which agitation and aggression begin to cause problems.

An international team of researchers postulate that the Microsoft Kinect gaming console's technology could be used to track dementia patients' movements and voice patterns noninvasively, focusing on the phase of the illness in which agitation and aggression begin to cause problems. To that end, the team is working to develop tools that could enable secure monitoring and assessment, allowing those in the early stages of the disease or who are relatively symptom-free to carry on with independent assisted living (IAL) without risk of harming themselves or others. Currently, agitation and aggression monitoring involves close supervision, often including a video camera to monitor behavior, thereby intruding on privacy.

The research team, hailing from Birmingham City University (Birmingham, England), Bangor University (Bangor, North Wales), the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School (Coventry, England), Technical University of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain), and the Fukuoka Institute of Technology (Fukuoka, Japan) and led by Philip Moore, Dr. Eng. MCIOB, of Birmingham City University, found that the Microsoft Kinect system, which uses infrared (IR) light to create a depth image that produces data in the form of a silhouette, could noninvasively monitor a patient's movements and voice patterns. The technology in Kinect, known as gesture recognition, could distinguish between everyday movements and sounds and uncharacteristic violent movements or shouting. And because it produces a silhouette rather than video or photograph, it could ease patients' worries about invasion of privacy.

The researchers are currently working to develop a gesture recognition-based software and noninvasive sensor technology solution that can be implemented in mobile systems.

About the Author

Lee Dubay | Managing Editor

Lee Dubay is managing editor for Laser Focus World. She is a seasoned editor and content manager with 20 years of experience in B2B media. She specializes in digital/print content management, as well as website analytics, SEO, and social media engagement best practices. 

Sponsored Recommendations

On demand webinar: Meet BMF’s first hybrid resolution printer, the microArch D1025

July 26, 2024
Join us in this webinar to explore our newest product release - the microArch D1025 - our first dual-resolution printer. Learn more!

Meet the microArch D1025: Hybrid Resolution 3D Printing Technology

July 26, 2024
Meet BMF's newest release, our first dual-resolution printer for the prototyping and production of parts requiring micron-level precision.

Optical Power Meters for Diverse Applications

April 30, 2024
Bench-top single channel to multichannel power meters, Santec has the power measurement platforms to meet your requirements.

Request a quote: Micro 3D Printed Part or microArch micro-precision 3D printers

April 11, 2024
See the results for yourself! We'll print a benchmark part so that you can assess our quality. Just send us your file and we'll get to work.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!