A
team
of
Waterloo
researchers
found
that
applying
artificial
intelligence
to
the
right
combination
of
data
retrieved
from
wearable
technology
may
detect
whether
your
health
is
failing.
The
study,
which
involved
researchers
from
Waterloo’s
Faculties
of
Applied
Health
Sciences
and
Engineering,
found
that
the
data
from
wearable
sensors
and
artificial
intelligence
that
assesses
changes
in
aerobic
responses
could
one
day
predict
whether
a
person
is
experiencing
the
onset
of
a
respiratory
or
cardiovascular
disease.
“The
onset
of
a
lot
of
chronic
diseases,
including
type
2
diabetes
and
chronic
obstructive
pulmonary
disease,
has
a
direct
impact
on
our
aerobic
fitness,”
said
Thomas
Beltrame,
who
led
the
research
while
at
the
University
of
Waterloo,
and
is
now
at
the
Institute
of
Computing
in
University
of
Campinas
in
Brazil.
“In
the
near
future,
we
believe
it
will
be
possible
to
continuously
check
your
health,
even
before
you
realize
that
you
need
medical
help.”
The study monitored active, healthy men in their twenties who wore a shirt for four days that incorporated sensors for heart rate, breathing and acceleration. They then compared the readings with laboratory responses and found that it was possible to accurately predict health-related benchmarks during daily activities using only the smart shirt.
“The research found a way to process biological signals and generate a meaningful single number to track fitness,” said Richard Hughson, co-author and kinesiology professor at the Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging.
Beltrame and Hughson co-authored the study with Alexander Wong, Canada Research Chair in artificial intelligence and medical imaging and an engineering professor at Waterloo. He is affiliated with both the Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute and the Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging. Robert Amelard, of the Schlegel-University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging, is also a co-author. The study appears in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
“This multi-disciplinary research is a great example of how artificial intelligence can be a potential game-changer for healthcare by turning data into predictive knowledge to help healthcare professionals better understand an individual’s health,” said Wong. “It can have a significant impact on improving quality of life and well-being.”
Carré Technologies developed the smart shirts, called Hexoskin, used in the research.
The team plans to test these systems on mixed ages and genders, and people with health issues to see how people might wear the sensors to gauge whether their health is failing.
Media Contact:
Pamela
Smyth
University
of
Waterloo
519-888-4777
www.uwaterloo.ca/news
@UWaterlooNews