Intelligent power management company Eaton announced the release of a new digital product targeting the healthcare sector. Leveraging Eaton’s smart breaker technology, the smart ambient monitoring Application Programming Interface (API) enhances energy usage data using proprietary machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. API access can be granted on a subscription basis to owners/users of Eaton’s smart circuit breaker. The result is a digital abstract of a resident’s activities of daily living based on their usage of a home’s electrical devices and appliances.
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“Smart ambient monitoring can help fill a significant gap in the healthcare market, allowing monitoring services to use data to better identify and address health issues and apply the right level of care at the right time.
In a study completed by Eaton’s Center for Intelligent Power, the accuracy of this approach is proven to be as effective as home health and wellbeing monitoring from more prevalent technologies, such as passive infrared-based systems. But the real benefit of the approach can be seen in the marriage of sensor-based technology and energy-based data.
“Sensor-based approaches are excellent in providing data regarding the comings and goings—general movement—of residents, but the real benefit of our approach comes from the marriage of sensor-based technology and energy-based data,” said Christopher Berke, director, Digital Healthcare, Eaton. “By adding the rich data from the electrical energy that is used in a household, we can go beyond proof of life, and get into incredible detail about the activities that make up a person’s day-to-day life. When the data points to a trending activity that is out of the ordinary or that could indicate a potential problem, a loved one or care provider can be alerted and a decision can be made on a course of action, like a call or a visit.”
Energy usage data can be grouped around typical activities of daily living like morning/evening routines and meal preparation—practically any activity that involves consumption of electrical energy. Once the AI has ‘learned’ what normal looks like for a particular household, it can become predictive of potential problems. For example, once an evening/sleep routine has been established, anomalies like more than normal bathroom visits could be flagged, and an intervention could be scheduled before a small issue becomes chronic.
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The smart ambient monitoring API not only informs caregiving that can lead to better health outcomes, but it also addresses two macro trends in the healthcare space—namely, the growing population of senior citizens that will eventually need some form of care and the growing shortage of healthcare workers to provide that care. Berke notes that, “Smart ambient monitoring can help fill a significant gap in the healthcare market, allowing monitoring services to use data to better identify and address health issues and apply the right level of care at the right time.”
Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to improving the quality of life and protecting the environment for people everywhere. We are guided by our commitment to do business right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers manage power ─ today and well into the future. By capitalizing on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, we’re accelerating the planet’s transition to renewable energy, helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges, and doing what’s best for our stakeholders and all of society.
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