Battery-less shoe-type wearable location sensor system for monitoring people with dementia

Abstract

Wearable monitoring sensors are a promising method for monitoring the daily activities of elderly people, but they have the problem of needing periodic battery replacement when used for long-term monitoring. To solve this drawback of conventional wearable devices, we developed a shoe-type wearable location transmitter that generates its own electricity and transmits location information without a battery. The developed transmitter generates electric power using changes in pressure at the bottom of the foot during walking, and the system estimates the location by evaluating the radio signal strength. Using the new location system, we successfully monitored the movement of one 80-year-old woman with dementia in an actual nursing home for over 130 days.