Pilots

Publication: Oscillometric blood pressure measurements on smartphones using vibrometric force estimation

Authors: Colin Barry, Yinan Xuan, Ava Fascetti, Alison Moore, Edward J Wang Abstract This paper proposes a smartphone-based method for measuring Blood Pressure (BP) using the oscillometric method. For oscillometry, it is necessary to measure (1) the pressure applied to the artery and (2) the local blood volume change. This is accomplished by performing an oscillometric measurement at the finger's digital artery, whereby a user presses down on the phone's camera with steadily increasing force. The camera is used to capture the blood volume change using photoplethysmography. We devised a novel method for measuring the force applied of the finger without the use of specialized smartphone hardware with a technique called Vibrometric Force Estimation (VFE). The fundamental concept of VFE relies on a phenomenon where a vibrating object is dampened when an external force is…

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Oral Presentation: NIA workshop – Leveraging Adaptive Technology (“Just-in-Time”) Interventions for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-related Dementias

Dr. Inbal Billie Nahum-Shani (PI) presented work from this pilot project during a talk titled "Adaptive interventions and JITAIs as decision policies: What and why?" as part of Session 1 - Digital adaptive interventions: decision-focused evidence production held on October 16, 2024. Source: NIA Event Page

Continue ReadingOral Presentation: NIA workshop – Leveraging Adaptive Technology (“Just-in-Time”) Interventions for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-related Dementias

Publication: ACM 2024 Conference Proceeds – Development of a One Dollar Blood Pressure Monitor

Authors: Yinan Xuan, Ava J. Fascetti, Colin Barry, Edward J. Wang Abstract BPClip is an ultra-low-cost cuffless blood pressure monitor. As a universal smartphone attachment, BPClip leverages the computational imaging power of smartphones to perform oscillometry based blood pressure measurements. This paper examines different design considerations in BPClip's development. The cost and accuracy of blood pressure measurements are the central design goals. Both requirements are achieved with the initial prototype that achieves a 0.80 USD material cost and a mean absolute error of 8.72 and 5.49 mmHg for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. Since a main motivator to develop BPClip is making blood pressure monitoring more accessible, usability is also central to the design. User studies were conducted throughout the design process to inform the most intuitive and accessible design features. In this paper,…

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Award: Gold Winner at McKnight’s Tech Awards in Falls Prevention, Management or Detection Category

The Gold went to Butlr and Ranagard Community for “Butlr: AI for earlier intervention.” By passively monitoring movement patterns via thermal sensors, Butlr Care alerts staff members when residents need assistance. The sensors detect movement but are purposely designed to be unable to capture any personally identifiable information. At Ranagard Community, 2,500 Butlr sensors were installed across 700 apartments. The return on investment has been evident in time and cost savings, increased revenue, better use of staff and a reduction in falls. Source: https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/news/gurwin-takes-best-of-show-as-2024-mcknights-tech-awards-honors-dozens-of-winners/

Continue ReadingAward: Gold Winner at McKnight’s Tech Awards in Falls Prevention, Management or Detection Category

Grant Funding: NIA R01 (R01AG089169)

Title: Neural mechanisms of gait disturbances as individualized digital biomarker trajectories in preclinical dementia Public Health Relevance Statement: In this project, the research team uncovers the neural mechanisms of gait and mobility disturbances in preclinical dementia and identifies trackable individualized digital biomarkers (from videos). They evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of these gait-based biomarkers and relate those to neural mechanisms and clinical phenotypes. By leveraging these identified markers, they can monitor the disease's progression, potentially minimizing or even replacing the demand for expensive neuropsychological or neuroimaging evaluations. Source: R01AG089169 (NIH RePORTER)

Continue ReadingGrant Funding: NIA R01 (R01AG089169)