Almost all persons find it increasingly difficult to live independently as they age. Everyday mishaps assume great importance for elderly persons because the victims may he unable to respond actively. These people may need varying levels of surveillance for their own health, thereby reducing their independence. Current monitors are insufficient because they require active participation by the user. Amron proposes to construct a home monitoring system to provide this surveillance and extend its user's independence by examining the status of ordinary activities such as light use and door position, combining these with clock time to provide alarms and reporting alarms to a designated individual or emergency services. The system will he constructed from off-the-shelf components, will be non- intrusive and non-interactive. The proposed work consists of system design, prototype construction and installation in a household, data collection and data analysis. The work will demonstrate that the prototype system can collect data in ordinary households and combine the data to form alerts. Phase II will see further research into the best combination of sensors for a fieldable system suitable for extended use. The system will be marketed, probably through a licensing agreement, in Phase III.
