Researchers have modified software on existing
smart watches to detect sleep patterns and disorders. It could also be
used to detect potentially fatal conditions such as diabetic coma.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics
Research IGD have developed software for commercially available
smartwatches, so that they can be used in sleep research.
“A smartwatch can do many of the things a smartphone can do: it
tells the time and allows wearers to check their text messages and
e-mails and find out what’s going on in social networks. But
smartwatches can also do a whole lot more. These tiny computers fitted
with acceleration sensors hold out many exciting possibilities in the
field of sleep research,” says Gerald Bieber, a scientist at Fraunhofer
IGD. The sleep recognition algorithm developed by Bieber and his team
helps to detect anomalies in sleep as soon as they occur. Information
such as bedtimes and duration and quality of sleep is derived from the
watch’s sensor data and then analysed.
“Our algorithm detects movements and compares them against normal
sleeping and waking patterns. The sensors register both micro-movements
triggered by breathing or pulse and macro-movements such as twitches of
the leg.” Patients can send the recorded data straight from their home
to the lab via the smartwatch’s radio module.
A tool for diabetics
“For the doctor in charge of the patient’s care, a digital sleep
diary like this is an important tool for diagnosing sleep disorders and
for choosing the right therapy,” explains Bieber. “Sleep quality is an
important indicator of burnout.”
According to studies, it is chronic sleep deficit and not stress
that is the real cause of burnout. There are many reasons for people
having difficulty falling asleep, having interrupted sleep or having
non-relaxing sleep: anything from the side effects of medication to too
little movement during the day, or even just the wrong mattress.
In future, Bieber and his colleagues also want to detect
unconsciousness in sleep. This is an issue that can affect diabetics and
epileptics. Type 1 diabetes patients quite frequently fall into a state
of hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) during the night, which can result
in the patient entering a life-threatening diabetic coma.
The software installed in the smartwatch would trigger an alarm in
such situations and notify family members or the patient’s doctor. The
smartwatch researchers are currently in talks with hospitals and soon
hope to obtain test data from coma patients, in other words real sample
data for comparison purposes.
At present, the smartwatch with the Fraunhofer software is being
used in a pilot study. In collaboration with Vital & Physio health
resort and mattress manufacturer Malie, the scientists are studying the
sleep behaviour of test subjects on back-friendly mattresses.
The key issue they are investigating is whether the “right”
mattress can help people with sleep disorders and enable them to sleep
soundly through the night. The information the study will yield on
activity patterns and sleeping behaviour could be useful in fields such
as combating stress and burnout.
Saving power while you sleep
What is more, people suffering from sleep disorders will not be the
only ones to benefit from the smartwatch app – it also offers an
opportunity to save on electricity bills.
“Eleven per cent of energy consumption comes from devices in
stand-by mode. Because our sensitive algorithm is capable of detecting
whether, for example, the watch wearer has fallen asleep in front of the
TV, the smartwatch could then switch off the TV automatically via a
radio signal. Modern televisions already contain the necessary
equipment, but older models can also be retrofitted with special network
outlets,” says Bieber.
In future, it will also be possible to switch off such diverse
household objects as alarm systems, wireless internet routers, and
lights using this tech.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/kwdrj5k
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