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Location Aware Smart Watch to Support Aging in Place
Gerontechnology (2014)
  • William D. Kearns, University of South Florida
  • James L. Fozard, University of South Florida
  • Paul Webster
  • Jan M. Jasiewicz
Abstract

Purpose: Aging in place for persons with cognitive impairment often requires automated prompting of activities of daily living which are usually given based solely upon a schedule, taking no account of the location of the user of the device. Schedule based ADL prompting can be inefficient if the recipient is not near to the location where the action is to be performed, since the prompt may be forgotten before the user reaches the location. Smart watches have been popularized by their ability to pervasively prompt the user yet their ability to prompt indoors based on location has not been fully realized. In this paper we present the development of Ubiwatch, which resolves the user’s indoor location to 20cm in 3 dimensions using Ultra-wideband (UWB) radio and enables two-way communication while prompting behaviours using audio, vibratory, coloured display and short text strings contingent on schedule and/or location. Method: The Ubiwatch is shown in Figure 1 with PCB presented in Figure 2. The Ubiwatch contains an active radio transponder designed to work with Ubisense sensors to derive coordinate data from predefined monitored indoor spaces. The 2.4GHz radio feature allows the wearer to be located when outdoors, or beyond of the range of the UWB infrastructure and allows the wearer to send a distress message. Results & Discussion: Figure 3 presents tracking data obtained by a user wearing tag as they move about the clinical facility hallways; achieved tracking accuracy is within the 20cm specification. In addition to providing prompting services, the tracking data gathered from the Ubiwatch can be used to estimate fall risk from walking path tortuosity. The Ubiwatch’s ability to measure altitude (Z) may prove useful in detecting falls which have already occurred, by notifying caregivers of an adverse event.

Publication Date
2014
Citation Information
William D. Kearns, James L. Fozard, Paul Webster and Jan M. Jasiewicz. "Location Aware Smart Watch to Support Aging in Place" Gerontechnology Vol. 13 Iss. 2 (2014)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/william_kearns/53/