SmartHOME being tested by USC, Palmetto Health Richland researchers

Business and community leaders got their first peak today at technology that will detect when a person falls or has difficulty standing or walking.

Dr. Paul Eleazer, the center's director and a professor of internal medicine at the School of Medicine.

The technology is being tested at the SmartHOME laboratory in the Smith House on the campus of Palmetto Health Richland through an international partnership of physicians, healthcare professionals and engineering and technology experts.

Palmetto Health, the University of South Carolina and Technical Kaiserslautern University and Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering in Germany are collaborating on the design and the testing of the SmartHOME technology, created to help senior citizens live independently and safely.

Two types of technology are being tested:

An infrared sensor and camera that can detect movements, standing position and whether a fall has occurred;
a pressure-motion sensor that can be used, for example, as a bed alarm or installed in a chair to determine whether a person is weak or having balance problems.

Dr. Victor Hirth, Project leader on SmartHOME, said this first phase of SmartHOME also will look at cost effectiveness and efficiency.

"A comprehensive team of experts in medicine, engineering, health and business will look at ways to use existing technology in new applications or determine if new technology must be developed," said Hirth. "We also will be looking at efficiency and cost effectiveness."

The SmartHOME laboratory will test temperature, motion and vibration sensors and other technology before it is placed in apartments, homes or condominiums for real-world application.

SmartHOME is one of three programs of the SeniorSMART Center of Economic Excellence, funded by private donations and funds generated through the S.C. Lottery Commission. Other programs include SmartWHEELS, which involves Clemson University's automotive design researchers, and SmartBRAIN, whose interdisciplinary team of researchers will focus on brain health and function.

"SeniorSMART comes at a critical time for our state and nation," said Hirth, a faculty member at the university's School of Medicine. "The most rapidly growing age group is among people 65 years and older, and South Carolina's aging population is among the nation's highest. In addition to providing quality medical care to this important segment of our society, we must find ways to keep seniors independent, active and healthy. SeniorSMART is key in these endeavors."

The research and technology required for SmartHOME will have applications in the United States and abroad, said Dr. Helmut Schmidt, president of the Technical Kaiserslautern University.

"The technological expertise and research for which our university is known are a good fit with that of the University of South Carolina, which has a growing reputation in science, engineering and technology," Schmidt said. "Our scientists and researchers working with the SmartHOME team from the university and Palmetto Health will lead to technology that can be used here and around the world."

Germany's comprehensive Fraunhofer Institutes are no stranger to research partnerships in South Carolina, said Dr. Dieter Rombach, executive director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering.

In 2005, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg signed an agreement with the University of South Carolina to conduct research on future energy needs.

"Fraunhofer has a tradition of working with American universities on major research initiatives," he said. "We are providing software and technical expertise for SmartHOME, a project that we believe has significant implications for millions of people."

To learn more about SeniorSMART and SeniorHOME, visit http://www.sc.edu/coee/seniorsmart

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