Using radar to predict Alzheimer’s disease and falls
Summary
Hopefully it can help to solve a growing challenge for society,” says Xuezhi Zeng, who is a researcher in biomedical electromagnetics at Chalmers University of Technology. There are currently products that record and issue alerts when a person has fallen but, thanks to the method devised by the Chalmers’ researchers, fall accidents can now be predicted before they have even happened. The new method uses a small radar sensor to acquire real-time, high-resolution reading of a person’s walking pattern, especially the time required to take a step. A product containing the sensor is no larger than a fire alarm and could be used within the healthcare system, in the home or in care environments for the elderly in order to identify risks. In the short term, Zeng hopes that it can be used by the elderly at home and provide healthcare staff with objective and valuable decision support data.