UC Merced Magazine | Volume XX, Issue VI

(Continued from page 15) “Using a speci c origami structure pattern, we created a sensor surface that can detect the shape of an object as you press it down on it,” electrical engineering and computer science Ph.D. student Dong Yoon Lee said. is technology could be integrated into autonomous retail stores. Imagine a customer takes a product o a shelf and it is instantly added to their digital cart. ey are charged automatically when they exit the store, streamlining the checkout process. To transition to autonomous retail, Ph.D. student Shubham Rohal said stores would need to change their shelves and add weight sensors or cameras, which aren’t as e ective with smaller products that can be covered by a shopper’s hand. “Creating a sensor as a shelf liner would mean not needing to replace hardware; it would reduce the cost,” he explained.

While holding a small, white, square device in her hand, Pan explained the plug-and-play device captures vibrations induced by elderly patients when they interact with surfaces such as oor tiles and tables. “We develop AI models to interpret information of the patient's activity from these ambient vibrations, which in a certain way turns your home into sensors,” she said. “A caregiver can receive real-time reports on what’s going on in the home without setting up a camera.” Lee is designing an AI model that can e ciently interpret the human activity context behind vibration signals generated through I-CARE sensors. “It helps them be independent and live their lives while helping professionals keep track of their health,” Lee said.

Sensing Health Rohal said the technology could be applied to other areas such as elderly care. “Imagine there’s a rug in your house with a sensor embedded in it that can seamlessly track your movements and gait information.” Although surface matrix sensing produces higher false positive rates that reduce the scalability of such sensors, Rohal said they are incorporating AI to ensure they collect accurate readings. With the help of Pan and her students, researchers at UC Davis Health have developed a visualization system called the Interactive Care (I-CARE) Platform designed to connect older adults with cognitive impairment to their family members who live apart from them.

A low-cost air quality sensor from AirGradient is used to improve air quality mapping resolution and accuracy.

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