Hyderabad: A smart bed to monitor sleep parameters such as body movement, posture and breath pattern may soon be a reality. It will work on that old mattress too as all it needs to turn smart is an array of sensors which will get down to the job of checking on you while you sleep.
Researchers at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, who have been working on it for the past seven years, are now waiting for the patent to roll it out.
“We use an array of sensors. Depending on parameters that need to be monitored and whether it is used by single or multiple persons, the number of sensors will vary,” said Parikshit Sahatiya, assistant professor, department of electrical and electronics engineering, who developed it with his student Vivek Adepu, a PhD scholar.
While the lab cost of an individual sensor is Rs 20, it would cost around Rs 50-60 in the market, Sahatiya said, adding that depending on bed size an array of sensors may be 64x64 or 128x128. He said that a user would also need to buy a controller which would cost Rs 200 and data could be monitored on a mobile app.
“The user needs to enter basic details such as height, weight, etc., initially. When a person sits or sleeps on this smart bed, the pressure sensors would map the position and tell if the posture is right or there is a need for correction,” Sahatiya said.
He said that the bed would also be able to monitor breath pattern, but it might be little a uncomfortable as the user would need to wear a mask.
Sahatiya said sensors could be installed at the time of production or customised at home later. He said that it could be used at home for infants or elderly to alert when the bed is wet as well as in hospitals for patients. The work has been published in Advanced Materials Interfaces.
Researchers at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, who have been working on it for the past seven years, are now waiting for the patent to roll it out.
“We use an array of sensors. Depending on parameters that need to be monitored and whether it is used by single or multiple persons, the number of sensors will vary,” said Parikshit Sahatiya, assistant professor, department of electrical and electronics engineering, who developed it with his student Vivek Adepu, a PhD scholar.
While the lab cost of an individual sensor is Rs 20, it would cost around Rs 50-60 in the market, Sahatiya said, adding that depending on bed size an array of sensors may be 64x64 or 128x128. He said that a user would also need to buy a controller which would cost Rs 200 and data could be monitored on a mobile app.
“The user needs to enter basic details such as height, weight, etc., initially. When a person sits or sleeps on this smart bed, the pressure sensors would map the position and tell if the posture is right or there is a need for correction,” Sahatiya said.
He said that the bed would also be able to monitor breath pattern, but it might be little a uncomfortable as the user would need to wear a mask.
Sahatiya said sensors could be installed at the time of production or customised at home later. He said that it could be used at home for infants or elderly to alert when the bed is wet as well as in hospitals for patients. The work has been published in Advanced Materials Interfaces.
