Media release

From: PLOS

Bluetooth-based technology could help older adults stay independent

A new “indoor positioning system” works better than GPS for tracking precise indoor locations and could be a boon to healthcare and other fields

A new Bluetooth-based positioning system could offer healthcare systems a low-energy, low-cost method of tracking older adults’ mobility, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Digital Health by Qiyin Fang of McMaster University, Canada, and colleagues.

Global Positioning System (GPS) is the dominant positioning technology today, but its use indoors is limited due to the difficulty in communicating with GPS satellites. However, the knowledge of a person’s position is critical for many real-time healthcare applications, including monitoring older adults in both their homes and long-term care facilities.

In the new study, researchers designed, developed and validated a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)- based Indoor Positioning System (IPS) that measures and tracks specific users’ locations continuously throughout the day.  IPS relies on small, wireless beacons plugged into wall outlets and wearable Bluetooth tags. Importantly, it does not require professional setup or detailed floorplans and costs about $200 for a typical setup involving five beacons.

To test the BLE-based IPS, scientists placed the system in two different suburban homes. The system was able to correctly identify a person’s location 96% of the time when it combined Bluetooth signals with motion sensors. The research team suggested that the technology could be used to monitor people’s locations as well as for tracking of medical equipment in dynamic environments such as hospitals.

“The potential for real-time, context-aware healthcare monitoring can significantly improve patient safety and caregiver efficiency, driving further research in this area,” the authors say.

The authors add: “The McMaster team developed an indoor positioning system specifically for tracking older adults' mobility in their own homes.  The technology was designed for low-cost implementation and operation that is critical for use in existing homes."