Soon, a mattress protector may be more than a bed cover. Australian medtech company Sleeptite and researchers at RMIT University have received a US patent for FlexiSense, a smart bedding technology that tracks body position and posture to help caregivers identify when older residents may be at risk of falling.
The technology is being developed for Sleeptite’s in-bed monitoring system, REMi, and was recently on display at The MedTech Conference in Boston. A peer-reviewed study in Flexible and Printed Electronics says the sensors can also be made at scale without sacrificing performance or durability.
How smart bedding might help prevent falls
Unlike cameras or wearable devices, FlexiSense embeds flexible electronic sensors into mattress protectors. The sensors are printed with silver and carbon inks on sheets of flexible polyurethane, and detect changes in pressure as a person moves or changes position in bed.
The system aims to help care staff to identify potential fall risks earlier, so they can intervene if necessary. Its wireless electronic module can continuously monitor and log data in the cloud, potentially providing useful information to caregivers without requiring residents to wear a device or change their daily routines.
The technology was developed by RMIT researchers, led by Distinguished Professor Madhu Bhaskaran in collaboration with Sleeptite and bedding manufacturer Sleepeezee Bedding Australia. The system has been in development for years, with a previous field trial monitoring six aged-care residents over more than 250 nights, collecting more than 6,100 bed hours of data.
For care facilities, the approach could provide another method to keep tabs on residents overnight when staff can’t be in every room all the time. It could also help in home care, but the technology is designed to augment caregivers, not replace their judgment.
US patent could help bring tech closer to production
A US patent was granted in October for the design of the FlexiSense sensor and its method of manufacture. Sleeptite says the approach could enable affordable, scalable production, with plans to establish an initial production line in Melbourne and possibly replicate small batch manufacturing closer to overseas customers, including in the US.
The sensors have shown durability, sensitivity and low power operation in tests, the researchers say. But the technology is not yet a panacea for fall prevention in all settings. Also ongoing is the development of pressure sore risk detection.
The promise is simple for older adults, their families and care providers: earlier warnings might give staff more time to respond before a risky situation escalates into an emergency. The next step will be to translate the patented design and exciting research into broader real-world application and to find out how reliably the system works in various care settings.