AUSTIN, Texas, Dec.
8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) Research today
announced the creation of the prototype IBM Multi-Purpose Eldercare
Robot Assistant (IBM MERA) done in collaboration with Rice University. IBM MERA is a first of a kind
Watson-enabled application designed to help assist the elderly and
their caregivers. IBM Research also has plans to work with Sole
Cooperativa, an independent healthcare provider in Italy, to instrument senior housing with
sensors to monitor day-to-day activities of its residents.
According to the United Nations, the number of people aged 60
years or older is projected to grow by 56 percent worldwide by
2030. To help improve eldercare resulting from this rapidly growing
demographic, IBM Research has opened a new "Aging in Place"
environment in its ThinkLab in Austin designed to mimic the types of
interactions elders may have in their homes. By leveraging IBM
MERA, the Internet of Things, and other cognitive-powered
technologies, IBM can study how data from atmospheric, motion &
falling, audio and olfactory sensors could be used by the ecosystem
of caregivers to potentially improve healthcare and wellness as
physical or environmental conditions change.
"Now is the time to invest in, care for, protect, and empower
our aging population so they can live more independent lives," said
Arvind Krishna, Senior Vice
President, IBM Research. "Our new research on 'embodied cognition,'
which can combine real-time data generated by sensors with
cognitive computing, will explore how to provide clinicians and
caregivers with insights that could help them make better care
decisions for their patients."
Multi-Purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant
IBM created the prototype robot with students and faculty from
Rice University's departments of
Electrical and Computer Engineering and Psychology, and it is being
hosted inside the IBM "Aging in Place" research environment. IBM
MERA will be used to help study innovative ways of measuring an
individual's vital signs, such as heart rate, heart rate
variability and respiratory rate; answer basic health-related
questions; and, determine if an individual has fallen by reading
the results of an accelerometer.
Running on the IBM Cloud and a Softbank Pepper robot interface,
IBM MERA uses IBM Watson technologies and CameraVitals, a
technology designed at Rice University
that calculates vital signs by recording video of a person's face.
These technologies allow IBM MERA to obtain fast, noninvasive
readings on a patient's heart and breathing measurements that can
be done multiple times per day. Combined with IBM Watson Speech to
Text and Text to Speech APIs, the camera can also view if a fall
has occurred and provide information for caregivers.
IBM MERA is also designed to interact with individuals using IBM
Watson Speech to Text, Text to Speech and Natural Language
Classifier APIs so we can study how they could receive answers to
health-related questions (e.g. "What are the symptoms of anxiety?"
or "What is my heart rate?").
"The Multi-Purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant represents the
powerful impact that results when leaders in academia and private
industry bring their best to bear on pressing societal issues,"
said Rice Provost Marie Lynn Miranda. "We are delighted to work
with IBM on this critical research project, which provides an
opportunity for our students and faculty to collaborate with
IBM's best Age and Ability researchers at the IBM Research Lab in
Austin."
Creating Smart Senior Living Residences
In Italy, Sole Cooperativa is
planning to work with IBM to create smart spaces for its senior
residents that will leverage the Internet of Things and IBM
cognitive computing to identify changes in physical conditions or
anomalies in environmental readings, and is designed to inform
caregivers of changing situations.
For example, by monitoring atmospheric readings, such as
carbon-dioxide and carbon-monoxide levels, Sole will use IBM
technology to determine the room someone is in and how long they
remained, and then leverage cognitive systems to help build a
contextual understanding of a normal day (e.g., what time do they
get up and go to bed, or how many meals do they eat and at what
time). By integrating data from other sources, including
traditional databases and streaming sensor data, Sole will be
equipped with holistic views of their residents.
"This new system will be designed to help our residents live
safely and independently for as long as possible," said
Roberta Massi, President, Sole
Cooperativa. "By better understanding a person's routines and
surroundings, we can identify potential risks, personalize care and
deliver precise recommendations that improve their quality of life.
We can also more effectively improve our business operations by
ensuring our staff is more focused on helping residents and
patients as potential medical issues arise."
About IBM Research
For more than seven decades, IBM Research has defined the future
of information technology with more than 3,000 researchers in 12
labs located across six continents. Scientists from IBM Research
have produced six Nobel Laureates, 10 U.S. National Medals of
Technology, five U.S. National Medals of Science, six Turing
Awards, 19 inductees in the National Academy of Sciences and 20
inductees into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame. For more
information about IBM Research, visit www.ibm.com/research.
Age Matters: Preparing for the Billion Elder Future
http://ibm.co/2haH8fK
Cognitive Machines Assist Independent Living as we Age
http://ibm.co/2hoHTRk
Tour the IBM "Aging in Place" Environment
http://bit.ly/2h0dYSy
Statements regarding IBM's future direction and intent are
subject to change or withdrawal without notice, and represent goals
and objectives only.
Contact: Tim Powers,
773-750-7030, tjpowers@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM