I-Corps: Translation Potential of a Non-contact Radar-based Elderly Tracking System

Award ID: 2632728

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a radar sensing system for automatic fall detection and proactive fall risk assessment. Falls and delayed assistance affect older adults across assisted-living, memory-care, skilled-nursing, and home settings, where continuous observation is often impractical and camera- or wearable-based monitoring present privacy concerns. This technology continuously measures movement and physiological patterns without cameras, wearable device compliance, or manual activation, enabling timely alerts and longitudinal information that may support earlier evaluation of declining mobility or increasing fall risk. Applications include elder-care facilities and home monitoring, with longer-term potential in rehabilitation, worker safety, behavioral health, and other settings requiring unobtrusive monitoring. This may improve resident safety, caregiver response, documentation, aging in place, and efficient use of caregiving resources while preserving privacy, dignity, and independence. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of a compact radar system that integrates fall detection with longitudinal mobility and physiological monitoring. The technology uses radar hardware, phase demodulation and signal extraction methods, motion artifact reduction, signal processing, and machine learning algorithms to derive gait, activity, heart rate variability, and respiration pattern variability without cameras or body-worn sensors. It is based on a combination of real-time safety monitoring with data-informed assessment of changes associated with fall risk, rather than providing only post-event alerts or isolated vital sign measurements. Users, including elderly adults and their caregivers, may benefit from this system by providing unobtrusive fall alerts and assessment of fall risk based on longitudinal monitoring of physiology and behavioral patterns. 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