At-home device capable of detecting early signs of dementia could be available in next five years

A home device that can detect early signs of dementia could be available in five years, experts say.

Scientists have developed a £400 box that uses video game technology to track a person’s gait as they move around a room.

Installed on the ceiling, the Sense4Safety system uses infrared depth sensors to analyze gait speed, stride length, and the time it takes to get up and cover a certain distance. It can then detect subtle changes – indicating increasing instability – that should be investigated by professionals.

Professor George Demiris of the University of Pennsylvania presented it at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington DC.

Previous studies have shown that changes in walking speed occur as early as ten years before the development of dementia (stock image)

Previous studies have shown that changes in walking speed occur as early as ten years before the development of dementia.

“It has great potential in people’s individual homes, but also in care homes or assisted living facilities,” said Professor Demiris.

‘Ultimately, it would be nice if people could choose to activate this in their own home as a safety net for fall prevention and be present in every home.’ When asked if the device, which relies on infrared signals, ‘can be used on a person who is healthy’ to detect changes in their brain, Professor Demeris said: ‘Absolutely.

‘Studies have shown that changes in cognitive performance are associated with changes in gait. You might even have enough data to detect cognitive decline if you start actively monitoring someone.

“If people experience a significant change in their gait over a short period of time, it could often be because of medications they’re taking, an accident they’ve had, or other physiological or cognitive changes.” Participants testing the Sense4Safety system had their homes assessed to minimize tripping hazards.

The device, a black box, was then installed at an angle to the ceiling, allowing the ‘silhouette extraction’ technology to survey a room.

The system doesn’t record video, instead using depth sensors to capture a shadow impression of the person moving. Similar techniques have been used in game consoles that respond to users’ movements.

The participants were regularly monitored by a nursing coach who reviewed the collected data.

If changes were detected that indicated they were becoming more unstable, the nurse could intervene with an exercise plan or home modifications to reduce their risk of falling.

If a user does fall, the system can also detect this and send an alert.

Professor Demiris, an expert in smart home solutions for the aging population, said the mobility scores generated by the technology matched those of a human expert who assessed the participants.

He added: ‘The technology allows us to calculate an individualized fall risk score, and with machine learning that can be perfected over time.

“We found that the technology correlates well with expert clinical judgment.” He added that further tests and studies could make depth sensors for fall prevention and assessment of cognitive decline available in about five years.

Researchers believe the smart home system could be much more effective than alternatives such as wearable devices.

Smart watches or other body-worn technology often rely on the user remembering to charge them and knowing how to operate the devices.

However, the sensor boxes are designed to be part of the ‘residential infrastructure’.

One per house would be sufficient for gait tracking, or several could be installed in different rooms to detect traps throughout the household.

‘We look at passive perception because you don’t rely on people having to learn how to operate new hardware or software,’ explains Professor Demiris. “It just works in the background.

“And we’re focusing on older adults with mild cognitive impairment because they are at a higher risk of falling than people without cognitive impairment.” Ahead of the event, he said the system would be cost-effective, as the money saved by preventing falls and reducing the need for expensive treatments would likely cover running costs.

He added: ‘Rescuing a person from a possible fall can have huge consequences, obviously for their own quality of life, but also cost savings.

“If you were to employ nursing coaches or others to respond to fall alarms or work on individualized fall prevention programs, it could end up being much more cost-effective on a larger scale.”