Smart Carpet Keeps Track of Patients When Caregivers Can’t

A University of Missouri professor has developed a “smart carpet” that monitors the movements of elderly persons and can detect the potential for a dangerous fall. The purpose of the flooring system is to help patients remain both independent and safe unobtrusively. With sensors under the carpet and electronics that monitor and communicate walking activity, “the floor sends data to a computer that crunches the data for useful information,” said the system’s inventor, Mizzou professor of electrical and computer engineering Harry Tyrer, Jr.