iRestroom : A smart restroom cyberinfrastructure for elderly people

According to a report by UN and WHO, by 2030 the number of senior people (age over 65) is projected to grow up to 1.4 billion, and which is nearly 16.5% of the global population. Seniors who live alone must have their health state closely monitored to avoid unexpected events (such as a fall). This study explains the underlying principles, methodology, and research that went into developing the concept, as well as the need for and scopes of a restroom cyberinfrastructure system, that we call as iRestroom to assess the frailty of elderly people for them to live a comfortable, independent, and secure life at home. The proposed restroom idea is based on the required situations, which are determined by user study, socio-cultural and technological trends, and user requirements. The iRestroom is designed as a multi-sensory place with interconnected devices where carriers of older persons can access interactive material and services throughout their everyday activities. The prototype is then tested at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. A Nave Bayes classifier is utilized to anticipate the locations of the sensors, which serves to provide a constantly updated reference for the data originating from numerous sensors and devices installed in different locations throughout the restroom. A small sample of pilot data was obtained, as well as pertinent web data. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) has approved all the methods.