I-Corps: Cyber Physical System for Telehealth for Seniors with Cognitive Impairments

Award ID: 2234201

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a technology to better reintroduce the human touch in telehealth and improve the general quality of care. Most telehealth companies have focused on providing convenient logistics. Less effort has been devoted to consultation accuracy. This proposed technology uses Internet of Things (IoT) sensing to enable a more precise medical diagnosis, with measurement of temperature, blood pressure, and specific inputs depending on the specialty. Diagnosis and monitoring of neuromuscular disorders rely on a nuanced physical examination. Most neurologists are unfamiliar with telemedicine's potential use for stroke and movement disorders. This proposed technology may provide improved assessments of variable weaknesses, increase patient monitoring and education, reduce the burden and cost of clinic visits, and increase patient access. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a cyber-physical and community system that address the use of telemedicine for neuromuscular disorders using computer vision, robotics, and non-invasive cognitive assessment tools. This technology includes a telehealth platform augmented by a digital twin of the patient that assists with diagnostic testing. This system lets doctors focus on taking notes, interacting with the patient, and getting more accurate diagnosis for their patients. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman