LOW COST MATTRESS SENSOR FOR BODY POSITION MONITORING

This program will develop a low cost sensor mat to monitor an individual?s body position while sleeping. Presently, the only systems that monitor body position in a bed without any wires or sensors attached to the person are designed for high-resolution analysis of the pressure and change in pressure distribution therefore using 200+ sensors and require expensive and complicated systems. A low cost system that can identify the approximate body position, or more importantly changes in body position would be a valuable tool in both research and clinical application. The goal of this proposal is to test and identify the minimum number of sensors that are required to identify body position changes and produce a Low Cost Mattress Sensor for Body Position Monitoring (Mattress Sensor). One application for this Mattress Sensor, which is applicable in both the research and the clinical settings, is the monitoring and recording of a subject?s body position, movement and transitions during sleep studies. With the addition of some electronics, the Mattress Sensor will be useful in the clinical setting to alert a caregiver when a patient has not performed a significant change in the pressure distribution and is at risk of forming a pressure ulcer. As opposed to other fall prevention systems, appropriate electronics with the Mattress Sensor can be used before the patient falls or leaves the bed, to notify a caregiver when a patient is at the edge of the bed and at risk of falling or getting out.