Monitoring Babies’ Movement

The Integrated Media Systems Center has been working with Beth Smith at the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy to help examine poor motor development in infants. Smith has collected data from 12 typically developing infants and 24 infants at risk for developmental delay between birth and walking onset. Infants wore a sensor on each leg at home for 8 to 10 hours a day. Unlike current practice, where motor development is assessed by an expert during a limited time at the clinic, this study aims at providing a more straightforward and precise diagnostic method by relying on the sensors that collect details of the infant’s movements on a un-controlled environment and over an extended period. Early results have been positive and IMSC is helping analyze the sensor data to evaluate the infants’ movement.