Excretion Detection System with Gas Sensor – Proposal and Verification of Algorithm Based on Time-Series Clustering

[abstFig src='/00290002/09.jpg' width='300' text='Standard Lifilm configuration' ] In this study, we propose an excretion detection system, Lifi, which does not require sensors inside diapers, and we verify its capabilities. It consists of a sheet with strategically pla...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of robotics and mechatronics Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 353 - 363
Main Authors: Ui, Yoshimi, Akiba, Yutaka, Sugano, Shohei, Imai, Ryosuke, Tomiyama, Ken
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Tokyo Fuji Technology Press Co. Ltd 01.04.2017
Subjects:
Air intakes
Algorithms
Clustering
Excretion
Gas sensors
Hydrogen sulfide
Sensors
ISSN:0915-3942, 1883-8049
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:[abstFig src='/00290002/09.jpg' width='300' text='Standard Lifilm configuration' ] In this study, we propose an excretion detection system, Lifi, which does not require sensors inside diapers, and we verify its capabilities. It consists of a sheet with strategically placed air intakes, a set of gas sensors, and a processing unit with a newly developed excretion detection algorithm. The gas sensor detects chemicals with odor in the excrement, such as hydrogen sulfide and urea. The time-series data from the gas sensor was used for the detection of not only excretion, but also of the presence/absence of the cared person on the bed. We examined two algorithms, one with a simple threshold and another based on the clustering of sensor data, obtained using the k -means method. The results from both algorithms were satisfactory and similar, once the algorithms were customized for each cared person. However, we adopted the clustering algorithm because it possesses a higher level of flexibility that can be explored and exploited. Lifi was conceived from an overwhelming and serious desire of caretakers to discover the excretion of bed-ridden cared persons, without opening their diapers. We believe that Lifi, along with the clustering algorithm, can help caretakers in this regard.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:0915-3942
1883-8049
DOI:10.20965/jrm.2017.p0353