Nursing, Engineering Professors Developing Device To Get Seniors Moving

For those of us living the frenetic modern lifestyle, sitting in one place for a long period might seem like a vacation. But for those who are retired, it can lead to health complications. Patricia Burbank, professor of nursing at the University of Rhode Island, realized that there is a need to get older adults moving.

The actual idea was inspired by Burbank's own aunt, a 97-year-old woman living on her own.

"She loves hearing from her family and personal messages really resonate with her. How much better would it be to develop a device that could send a loving message and a suggestion to exercise?" said Burbank who is concerned about her aunt's decreased activity levels.

She brought the idea to Dayle Joseph, dean of URI's College of Nursing, who suggested Burbank get in touch with Ying Sun, director of URI's biomedical engineering program. Sun and Kyle Rafferty, a senior from Amherst, N.H., who is double majoring in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering, have been working to transform Burbank's ideas into a tangible product. In November, the device was patented through URI's Office of Research and Development.

Working with Sun during the summer in the initial stages of the project, Rafferty is now involved as part of an independent study. Using a breadboard, a construction base for electrical circuits, Rafferty has been responsible for getting the components of what is being called, the Activity Analyzer fully functional.

"It is a unique product because instead of counting steps like a pedometer or measuring distance walked, it uses an accelerometer, a three-axis motion detector, to analyze activity in three dimensions. It also has a recording device and a clock so you can record messages to go off at a particular time or messages to go off after periods of inactivity," Burbank said.

"I have been working to enable the processor to regulate time and the audio playback as well as program several messages to go off during different times during the day," Rafferty said. "It is my goal to have a working prototype, or close to it, by May."