MIT's wireless device can track sleep using radio frequencies

It could also aid in treating patients vulnerable to bedsores and sleep apnea, since both conditions can be alleviated by changes in sleeping posture.

BodyCompass, a wireless device, can monitor sleep postures using reflected radio signals from another small device mounted on a bedroom wall.

The device can measure sleep and identify postures without attaching cameras or sensors to the body, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said in a statement.

Studies show that stomach sleeping increases the risk of sudden death in people with epilepsy. Sleep postures could be used to measure the progression of Parkinson’s disease as the condition robs a person of the ability to turn over in bed.

The body monitoring device could help patients to assess their risk, and when combined with an intervention system, could save patients from sudden unexpected death due to epilepsy, MIT said.

​BodyCompass can also be used to track sleep habits and monitor infant sleep pattern.

The team tested the device’s accuracy over 200 hours of sleep data from 26 healthy people sleeping in their own bedrooms. In the beginning of the study, the subjects wore two accelerometers taped to their chest and stomach.

The device predicted the correct body posture 94% of the time, MIT stated.

The device analyses radio signal reflections as they bounce off objects in a room, including the human body. It sends and collects these signals as they return through multiple paths. The researchers map the paths of these signals to determine the body’s posture.

Identifying breathing as coding helped the team separate signals from the body from environmental reflections.

BodyCompass also preserves users’ privacy since it only records information essential to detect sleeping posture and breathing patterns. It also eliminates discomfort as no camera or sensor is attached to the body.

It could also aid in treating patients vulnerable to bedsores and sleep apnea, since both conditions can be alleviated by changes in sleeping posture.

The team hopes to include an update in the future to alert users to change their posture. The device can be integrated with mattresses that slowly turn a patient to avoid dangerous sleep positions.