Adaptive Monitor Adjusts to ICU Display Needs

An intelligent proxemic monitor interfaces with medical equipment and the hospital information system (HIS), displaying pertinent vital signs of intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI; Berlin, Germany), the smart monitor can be controlled by contact-free gestures and voice commands. Three different cameras and a microphone scan the area in front of the monitor; using the video data, built-in software of analyzes whether there are people in the room, how far away they are from the screen, and what movements they are making. Depending on their distance from the monitor, the display is modified for optimum graphics.

The monitor distinguishes between near, medium, and far distances, with the cameras covering a maximum of four meters; as the viewer gets closer, the screen displays more detailed information. From the medium distance, the cursor can also be controlled with arm movements, and commands or short reports can be input by voice. With pre-programmed gestures, for example, a video call can be started to consult with other physicians within or outside of the hospital. The user interface is web-based, so it is also suitable for mobile devices, such as tablets, at the bedside, as well as in the control room.

“We have given the monitor eyes and ears so as to allow for multimodal interaction between the user and the system. Our software records distances and movements of the user in a contactless manner, interprets them, and converts them into commands for operating systems or machines,” said Paul Chojecki, of the HHI department of vision & imaging technology. “Another advantage of the gesture control is that the doctor or health care provider does not have to touch the devices directly. The obligatory hand hygiene is sometimes forgotten, and viruses as well as bacteria are carried from room to room.”

The system also evaluates the data of the medical devices on the basis of the smart alarm design of the partners to the project, the medical engineering department of Aachen University Hospital (Germany). The evaluation helps to prevent false alarms, since current devices do not exceed determined pre-set limits, thus often missing some relevant factors necessary to comprehensively assess a risk situation.

Related Links:
Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut
Aachen University Hospital