The system, which combines commercially available and custom sensors, passively measures movement, daily activities, sleep and phone usage within the home. The team deployed the prototype system, dubbed HomePal, for three months in the homes of 70 adults ages 65 and older living independently in metro Atlanta. The research team plans to compare the data against biweekly loneliness assessments.
“The main idea is to see whether everyday behavior at home can give early signs that an older adult may be experiencing loneliness or social withdrawal,” said Mohamed Kamel, a computer science Ph.D. student in VCU’s College of Engineering and lead author of the study about the system.