News & Events

Grant Funding: NIA SBIR Phase I (R43AG090129)

Title: AVA AI Video-Based Mobile Application for Reliable, Accessible, and Low-Cost Fall Risk Assessments of Older Adults Public Health Relevance Statement: This project presents AVA, a video-based mobile app for at-home fall risk assessment of older adults, only using a smartphone to enable a much higher access, low-cost solution with full privacy protection. AVA empowers caregivers to assess the gait, balance, and strength of their older adults independently without the direct supervision of healthcare professionals. The Phase I study focuses on validating AVA's AI-based assessment technology and its usability in diverse home and independent living settings which can lead to revolutionizing current fall risk assessment practices. Source: R43AG090129 (NIH RePORTER)

Continue ReadingGrant Funding: NIA SBIR Phase I (R43AG090129)

Past Webinar – Sustainable Ear-Worn Systems for HCI and BCI: Design, Development, and Deployment, VP Nguyen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUKKp4Fazno&t=3s&pp=ygUNYTIgY29sbGVjdGl2ZQ%3D%3D Abstract: This talk introduces curiosity-driven research that explores science and technology to build the next generation of ear-worn computer systems that are robust, sustainable, cost-effective, low-burden, and socially acceptable, thereby unlocking new applications in human-computer interaction and brain-computer interface. Yet, the development of these systems brings significant challenges, demanding a rethinking of hardware and software frameworks, advanced ML algorithms, and significant interdisciplinary efforts. I will present our approaches to fill the gaps and build practical ear-worn computers, highlighted by motivating applications our lab has worked on: interactive computing and disease monitoring and intervention. Additionally, I will share insights gained from deploying these systems in various real-world settings and discuss future research directions.  Biography: VP Nguyen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science at the Manning College of Information & Computer Science at UMass Amherst…

Continue ReadingPast Webinar – Sustainable Ear-Worn Systems for HCI and BCI: Design, Development, and Deployment, VP Nguyen

Funding: $38 million in Series B funding secured with an emphasis on growth in the senior living community sector

“Our focus for this strategic funding is to continue to support enterprise customers and meet the strong demand for our technology in senior care.”Honghao Deng, CEO and co-founder, Butlr Burlingame, Calif. – August 26, 2024 – Butlr, a physical AI (PAI) startup, today announced $38M in Series B funding to meet the increasing demand for its sensors and anonymous data that can be used in any building to better understand how humans interact in a space. This results in more collaborative, energy efficient and safer buildings where people work and live. Butlr’s primary customers are in senior living communities and workplaces, with a growing interest among brick-and-mortar retailers. To date, the company has raised $68 million with Foundry as the lead investor for Series B.   An MIT Media Lab spinout, Butlr has patented the combination…

Continue ReadingFunding: $38 million in Series B funding secured with an emphasis on growth in the senior living community sector

Poster Presentation: Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2024

Title: Enhancing Mental and Cognitive Fitness Monitoring via Vocal Biomarkers: Applications for Military Personnel Authors: Erik Larsen, Olivia Murton, Xinyu Song, Dale Joachim, Lindsey Venesky, Sam Murdock, Bonnie Wong, Brad Dickerson Abstract:  Maintaining the mental and cognitive fitness of military personnel is critical to ensuring peak operational readiness. Traditional methods like self-reported questionnaires and clinical interviews are often hindered by subjectivity, time constraints, and the stigma surrounding mental health. Vocal biomarkers offer a breakthrough, enabling an unobtrusive, secure, and real-time assessment of mental and cognitive states using readily available smart devices.  Our research validates the effectiveness of vocal biomarkers in remotely monitoring mental and cognitive shifts, including those associated with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and cognitive impairment, as well as real-time cognitive effort. This technology, deployable across consumer electronics and wearables without the need for network…

Continue ReadingPoster Presentation: Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2024

Grant Funding: 2024 Innovation Award Competition: Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies in Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Disorders (CAPCaT)

Billion Labs Inc is a recipient of the 2024 CAPCaT Innovation Award to further advance the design of the user interface for their VibroBP smartphone app for measuring blood pressure. The award covers $100,000 in direct costs for the 12-month long project. The CAPCaT is a partnership between UMass Chan Medical School and UMass Lowell. The center's mission is to support development and testing of promising, point-of-care technologies that can be rapidly deployed to enhance the diagnosis, monitoring, management and treatment of heart, lung, blood and sleep disorders. The center has an additional interest in projects that incorporate complementary and integrative health approaches. CAPCaT is supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute via U54HL143541. Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/blood-pressure-readings-your-fingertips (Press Release)

Continue ReadingGrant Funding: 2024 Innovation Award Competition: Center for Advancing Point of Care Technologies in Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Disorders (CAPCaT)

NIH Research Highlight: 2024 NIH Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Research Progress Report – Understanding Risk and Protective Factors for Dementia | Spotlight: Blood pressure and dementia risk

The pilot project led by Ed Wang was spotlighted in the 2024 NIH Alzheimer's and Related Dementias annual research project report in the section focused on understanding the associated risk dementia factor of uncontrolled high blood pressure. Results from this early pilot study demonstrate the potential of smartphone-based blood pressure devices, which in the near future could help improve the accessibility of long-term blood pressure monitoring. This improved improved access to low-cost blood pressure monitoring has the potential to reduce a major contributing factor to dementia risk. Source: 2024 NIH Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Research Progress Report: Advances and Achievements

Continue ReadingNIH Research Highlight: 2024 NIH Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Research Progress Report – Understanding Risk and Protective Factors for Dementia | Spotlight: Blood pressure and dementia risk