[09/08/11]
Visonic Technologies (VT), a recognized leader of Active RFID/RTLS Safety, Security and Visibility Solutions, announced that researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have selected the Elpas RTLS (real-time location system) for a pilot study of personal hygiene behavior in the home. Elpas RTLS will be used to determine whether realtime location data will be able to unobtrusively provide accurate information about an individual's every day hygiene activities over extended periods of time.
The selected Elpas RTLS Hygiene Monitoring Solution combines Active RFID Wrist and Asset Tags, RF Tracking Readers and LF Exciters to accurately define sub-room areas such as bathroom sinks, toilets and showers. The tags when worn by the participants and attached to various home hygiene
objects such as toothpaste and soap dispensers will enable researchers to infer behavior practices based on the simultaneous co-location of the participant and the tagged hygiene objects.
"The Elpas system from Visonic Technologies' was selected from other competing RTLS systems due to its ability to identify key behaviours of multiple people within a household, by locating people and objects to small zones within rooms," says Robert Aunger, the senior researcher at LSTHM leading
the study. "It also has the advantage of having tags with a long battery life (to avoid the need to interact with participants on a regular basis to change batteries), ability to access the data remotely, and being relatively cost effective compared to other options."
The Elpas RTLS Hygiene Monitoring Solution will provide behavioral measurement reports relating to the daily hygiene activities (such as hand washing, bathing, toilet usage, oral hygiene and vitamin ingestion by family member, location and time). "We intend to use this system to investigate ways to
promote healthy habits as a way to achieving sustainable improvements to health related behaviors," says Gaby Judah, the postgraduate student at LSHTM who will be implementing the project.
About the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is a leading school of public health in Europe. It aims to improve health worldwide through research, teaching and training in national and international public health and tropical medicine, and through informing policy and practice in these areas.
About Visonic Technologies
Visonic Technologies (VT) is a fully owned subsidiary of The Visonic Group (vsc.TA) and is a global provider of scalable Passive & Active RFID/RTLS Safety, Security and Visibility Solutions for the healthcare industry and leverages wired or wireless Ethernet networks. VT delivers out-of-the-box as well as custom tailored risk mitigation tools that enhance patient and personnel safety, infant protection; delivers comprehensive asset management; lessens negligence litigation and facilitates industry guideline compliance. The company currently serves customers through a network of OEMs, integrators and resellers throughout the Americas, the U.K., EMEA and APAC. Web Site: www.visonictech.com
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