Apr 17, 2020 06:00:00

MIT develops a device that can wirelessly monitor the breathing and movement of a new coronavirus infected person who is self-isolated

Since no cure for new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has been established, `` rest and treatment at home '' is

recommended for asymptomatic and mildly ill persons other than critically ill persons who require a ventilator. Has been done . A small device `` Emerald '' useful for telemedicine that analyzes and guesses the vital signs of infected people who perform such self-isolation is a research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (CSAIL) Developed by the team.

CSAIL device lets doctors monitor COVID-19 patients from a distance | MIT CSAIL
https://www.csail.mit.edu/news/csail-device-lets-doctors-monitor-covid-19-patients-distance

The 'emerald' developed by CSAIL is a device that uses artificial intelligence to analyze signals that are only 1/1000 of the signals emitted by mobile phones in the space and determine the patient's movements and respiratory rate. The following movie explains what kind of device 'Emerald' is actually.

Non-contact health monitoring for COVID-19-YouTube


'Emerald' is installed on the wall and the green frame in the image below.

The 'emerald' constantly receives the faint signals in the room, so the patient does not have to wear a measuring device.

'Emerald' is how the patients in the room moved ...

You can measure how you breathe. In addition, multiple subjects can be measured separately.

Several hospitals and nursing homes are already using 'emerald,' and its usefulness has been verified. When COVID-19-infected persons in self-isolation were monitored by 'emerald', it was possible to confirm the recovery tendency of the medical condition from the respiratory and gait conditions. 'Emerald' seems to have been able to measure the progress of COVID-19 patients' breathing rate approaching normal times, and the progress of walking speed returning to normal.

When doctors perform direct tests or nurses measure various vital signs, there is a possibility of infection, and many of the medical personnel who are the most important personnel for the COVID-19 pandemic are infected. There is a fact that `` Emerald can generate important health data without contact with the patient, thus minimizing the risk of infection for doctors and nurses, '' said Ipsit Vahia, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who used the emerald to monitor patients. I will limit it to the limit '.

It is said that trials have begun to use 'emeralds' not only for patients with COVID-19 but also for patients with sleep apnea and dementia.