Fujitsu and Wakayama Medical University have started joint trials of a technology to support nurses and caregivers in visually monitoring patients in privacy-sensitive contexts, including hospital rooms and nursing facilities.
The joint demonstration trials will run from November 21, 2022 – March 31, 2024, as per a statement.
The technology leverages Fujitsu’s technique for accurately estimating postures of the human body using a millimeter-wave sensor and Fujitsu’s Actlyzer AI technology for analysis of complex human behaviors.
Using a millimeter-wave sensor to gather point cloud data and no cameras, Fujitsu’s technology will help to support nurses and caregivers to monitor patients and achieve a faster response to emergency situations including falls and possible serious injuries while ensuring patients’ privacy.
Fujitsu will analyse data obtained through the trials and further refine its technology based on analysis results evaluated by Wakayama Medical University, drawing on the Wakayama Medical University’s knowledge from the medical field.
Based on these results, the two parties aim to offer a millimeter-wave sensor service for privacy-conscious monitoring to hospitals and nursing facilities in fiscal 2023. Ultimately, the two parties hope to contribute to enrich people’s lives by realising an environment in which elderly people can enjoy greater independence and privacy without sacrificing their personal safety.
In fiscal 2021, the Japan Hospital Association counted a total of 290 falls per month at 18 hospitals in Japan. Although these numbers highlight the risk of falls and injuries of elderly people and the need for patient monitoring, monitoring technologies using cameras remain difficult to install in highly private spaces such as hospitals and nursing homes.
To address this challenge, Fujitsu and Wakayama Medical University started joint trials at actual facilities for the elderly to contribute to reducing the risk of serious injuries such as bone fractures by supporting nurses and caregivers in monitoring patients and achieving a faster response to emergency situations while ensuring patients’ privacy.
Data measurement during trials with elderly people will include demonstration trials at hospitals and nursing homes with elderly patients and people that require nursing care; collection of point cloud data of patients’ postures using a millimeter wave sensor installed inside the facilities and utilisation of Fujitsu’s monitoring technology to detect movements that could lead to falls.
There will also be an evaluation whether the system is able to accurately detect patients’ postures by comparing test results with logs from movement sensors installed around patients’ beds and data of cameras installed for the demonstration trials.
Fujitsu will analyse specific body movements that lead to falls based on point cloud data obtained with a millimeter-wave sensor point cloud data does not include any personal information of patients’ and is thus also suited for highly private spaces.
Wakayama Medical University will evaluate Fujitsu’s technology based on the results of Fujitsu’s analysis based on its knowledge from the medical field; based on the evaluation results, Fujitsu will further improve its monitoring technology with the aim to offer a privacy-conscious monitoring technology for hospitals and nursing facilities in Japan by the end of fiscal 2023.
While Fujitsu will provide monitoring technology, data collection and analysis, improvements based on technical evaluation, Wakayama Medical University will be responsible for the technical evaluation from the viewpoint of medical practice and direction of technical improvement .
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