Intel and GE Healthcare Lay Foundations of Health House

Who’s got your back? In a few years, it might be your house. Researchers from Intel and GE Healthcare are developing a so-called Health House fitted with sensor arrays to track the occupants’ habits, check vital signs and predict whether they are at risk of a fall. If a sensor detects an anomaly it will send out an alert.

One of many ambient assisted living initiatives that are springing up, the Health House is the first manifestation of a commitment made by GE and Intel to conduct telecare research. Funded with €184 million, the partnership intends to develop and market home-based health technologies that will help older people and those with chronic conditions to live more independently, reports E-Health Europe.

The house will use patient information, such as risk of hypertension, diabetes and respiratory problems, with information about daily routines to create an algorithm capable of identifying subtle health changes that might signal more serious problems.

The sensors in the house are also able to study activity, such as how many times a person goes to the bathroom, the amount of time spent sleeping and whether medication is being taken.

Work is also underway to develop more advanced alerts that could help to identify changes in the way a person walks and moves and how long it takes to get out of bed in the morning, which could help to indicate early signs of instability.

The system could be operational within the next few years. A team based in Budapest is developing the necessary algorithms, and a trial of the house linked to the University of Szeged in southern Hungary is being planned.

Tests are also being carried out at a Chicago care home, and software trials are being conducted in Britain, reports Times Health Editor Sam Lister.

“It is about the individual and how we can empower a person to age at home and stay well,” Agnes Berzsenyi, GE’s general manager for home health, told the Times. The system is expected to cost a similar amount to cable television, involving an initial installation fee and then monthly subscriptions, she added.

Tags: GE Healthcare, Health House, Intel