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Artificial intelligence is making a huge impact in the senior living space, as the technology is being used to keep residents safe and improve their overall health. Now, researchers have created a new wearable patch that harnesses AI and nanotechnology to monitor seniors’ health via biometrics.

Monash University engineering and IT researchers are testing a thin, wearable patch that monitors 11 human health signals. These include speech, neck movement and touch, plus breathing and heart rates. The patch uses a frequency and amplitude-based neural network called Deep Hybrid-Spectro, which automatically monitors biometrics.The patch had a 93% accuracy rate in monitoring these health signals, researchers found.

Other such health monitoring patches on the market include a wearable patch from Australian medtech manufacturer Nutromics that uses DNA sensor technology to track and measure disease for disease biomarkers; a skin patch from Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology that measures heart rate signals in real time and an AI-powered ECG patch for cardiac monitoring from Indian medtech company Dozee.

AI technology can make a real difference in monitoring nursing home residents’ health remotely. Besides measuring physical health, wearables using AI and machine learning are also a valuable tool in improving senior living residents’ mental health and well being. In a recent study, researchers found that Apple Watches, measuring variability and resting heart rate, effectively gauged resilience, an individual’s ability to cope with adversity and other psychological factors. Notably, experts say that these technologies must be easy to use for seniors to fully embrace them. The keys, they say, to increasing the adoption of remote patient monitoring tools are clear communication, data reliability and ease of use. Monash University’s new patch certainly fits the ease-of-use requirements, as it’s ultra-thin and designed to be like a “second-skin” for seniors who wear it, researchers say.