Communications of the ACM
Smartphones as a Health Tool For Older Adults
Researchers are working on a smartphone application that will help older adults cultivate healthier habits.
Credit: Senior Care Palm Beach
Researchers from Spain's Catalunya Polytechnic University (UPC) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona are working on a smartphone application to help older adults understand their health so they can cultivate healthier habits.
The two-year project aims to quantify physiological factors and combine that data with results for other variables so the final app supplies physiological, cognitive, and emotional information about users who are older than 60.
The research team's first goal is "to validate algorithms that can measure physiological and psychological variables obtained non-intrusively via mobile phones and through cognitive tests or questionnaires on eating habits," says lead UPC researcher Miguel Angel Garcia.
The researchers are currently developing, characterizing, and validating specialized software for measuring heart rate variability (HRV) and physical activity through mobile devices, using sensors already outfitted in standard smartphones. The information they produce will be integrated with data from global positioning system sensors or nearby networks to verify the user is moving rather than just handling the device, helping to promote greater mobility and giving users a greater sense of independence and confidence in their physical health.
The complete app will be capable of real-time HRV measurement to determine whether a user's health is improving or declining.
From Universitat Politènica de Catalunya
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