Profs Develop, Patent Device to Encourage Senior Exercise

Nursing and engineering faculty at University of Rhode Island in Kingston developed a device to send friendly reminders to older people that they need to get more exercise. In November, the university patented this system that analyzes activity levels of senior citizens and generates audio reminder messages in familiar voices.

The original idea for the Activity Analyzer, as the device is called, came from professor of nursing Patricia Burbank, who took the idea to the university’s biomedical engineering program. Ying Sun, director of the program and Kyle Rafferty, an engineering senior have been transforming Burbank’s ideas into a tangible product.

Burbank notes that instead of counting steps like a pedometer or measuring distance walked, the device uses a three-axis motion detector, to analyze activity in three dimensions. It also has a recording device and a clock so a relative or personal physician can record messages to go off at a particular time or after periods of inactivity.

Rather than a long guided workout, the audio messages would provide short prompts and reminders, and customized for each user’s mobility issue and lifestyles. At the end of each day, the device scores the individuals based on their activity levels, which can be tracked using a computer.

Rafferty hopes to have a working prototype developed by May 2011. Burbank and Sun are writing a proposal for grant funding that would allow the team to build six Activity Analyzers and conduct a research study to field test the device.

Photo: Woodley Wonderworks/Flickr

*     *     *