Wearable Physiological Sensors For Aging Research

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Abstract The National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) convened a meeting of experts in 2004 to explore opportunities for collaborative research in the area of imaging and sensor technology as it applies to aging research. The outcomes of that meeting identified a significant need for minimally-invasive, non-intrusive, wearable, and cost-effective devices that can be integrated into the daily lives of the elderly. Such sensor technology would provide researchers and clinicians vital information as to the variations and rates of changes in physiological parameters during the slow progression of the aging process. This data could also be utilized in understanding and modeling health and age-related events/episodes. The goal of this project is to create a set of tools for physiologic data collection aimed at aging research in the natural setting of the home environment. The proposed system will be a valuable tool for researchers and has the potential to provide early diagnosis of changes in the aging process for clinicians. Dr. Vera Novak is Director of the SAFE (Syncope and Falls in the Elderly) Laboratory and Assistant Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. The SAFE laboratory, which is established as a part of NIH-funded General Clinical Research Center at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is studying the effects of aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders on cerebrovascular and locomotor systems. The set-up at the laboratory enables simultaneous evaluation of gait (feet pressure, center of pressure), autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular and respiratory functions, electromyography, and cerebral and peripheral blood flow during normal gait. Detailed analysis of physiological signals enable researchers to evaluate the effects of aging on adaptation to upright posture and walking. In this phase I SBIR, Koronis Biomedical Technologies proposes to demonstrate a practical method to implement this research in home environments. The goal of this SBIR phase I project is to develop a research tool that provides minimally- invasive, non-intrusive, wearable, and cost-effective devices that can be integrated into the daily lives of the elderly.