Smart homes that detect sneeze, cough, and face touching

Area of Science:

• Health monitoring
• Wireless sensing technology
• Disease prevention

Background:

• Coughing, sneezing, and face touching are primary disease transmission routes.
• Monitoring these activities is crucial for public health, especially during pandemics like COVID-19.
• Existing methods for monitoring such activities at home are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a wireless sensing system for detecting and differentiating voluntary coughs, sneezes, and face touching.
• To provide real-time alerts for these activities via a mobile application.
• To support disease prevention and contact tracing efforts within smart home environments.

Main Methods:

• Utilized radio frequency technology, specifically continuous wave Doppler and frequency modulated continuous wave radar.
• Captured motion, speed, direction, and range data from human activities.
• Implemented a fuzzy logic system with IF-THEN rules to classify detected activities.

Main Results:

• Achieved an overall accuracy of 96% in differentiating between coughs, sneezes, and face touching.
• The system can detect and localize these activities up to 2.74 meters, through walls, and with multiple individuals.
• Enabled alert-based notifications sent to a mobile application.

Conclusions:

• The developed wireless sensing system effectively monitors key disease-spreading activities in a home setting.
• This technology offers a novel approach for enhancing hygiene practices and supporting public health initiatives.
• Potential applications include real-time health monitoring and aiding contact tracing efforts.