Validation of pressure sensors for physiological monitoring in home environments

Previous research using pressure sensors to monitor physiological signs, such as breathing and heart rate, has often been in controlled laboratory or institutional settings. We are interested in validating the use of such sensors in diverse home environments, where unobtrusiveness is achieved by embedding pressure sensors inside or below furniture.We have quantitatively examined outputs from sensors placed below a variety of mattress types and compared the response to outputs from sensors placed on top of the mattress. We show that embedded pressure sensors are valid for use in home environments and could be reliably used to collect physiological data. However, resultant low signal levels may require more sophisticated signal extraction algorithms.