IBM specializes in developing automatic sensors to measure biological and behavioral markers. To improve care for the elderly, IBM opened a new “Aging in Place” environment that imitates the types of interactions elderly people experience in their homes.

IBM studies how caregivers can improve health care when physical or environmental conditions change. They examine data from atmospheric, motion, audio and olfactory sensors.

IBM Research together with Rice University created a machine prototype they call the “IBM Multi-Purpose Eldercare Robot Assistant” (IBM MERA). The prototype interacts with people using Speech-to-Text, Text-to-Speech, and Natural Language Classifier applications to receive answers to health-related questions such as “What are the symptoms of anxiety?” and “What is my heart rate?”

IBM MERA measures an individual’s vital signs such as heart rate and respiratory rate. It determines whether an individual has fallen by reading the results of an accelerometer.

New technologies give fast, noninvasive readings on a patient’s heart and breathing measurements that can be done many times per day. IBM MERA incorporates Watson technology and CameraVitals, which calculates vital signs by recording video of a person’s face.

Source: Rice and IBM Explore Watson-Powered Robot Designed to Aid Elderly and Caregivers
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