Daily Physiological Signal Monitoring System for Fostering Social Well-Being in Smart Spaces

Abstract

We propose socially acceptable physiological signal monitoring system consisting of a natural sensing interface and an intuitive information display. The natural sensing interface, BioPebble, is a simple, natural, and enjoyable stone-type interface embedded in daily objects such as remote controllers or mobile devices. The intuitive information display, Rainbow display, represents physiological signal information using an intuitive information visualization method for novice users. The information is transferred to the mobile personal station wirelessly and visualized using an appropriate mapping strategy considering the differences of individual users. From the experiment, we found that the sensing interface is more comfortable and involves more aesthetic feeling compared to disposable wired interfaces while retaining effectiveness in monitoring physiological signals regularly during a short period of time. In addition, visualized information in a rainbow-shaped display is easily understood by novice users but not by professionals and caregivers. From these observations, we expect that this monitoring system enables users to monitor their physiological status easily with the proposed interface and display. As a result, this system accelerates social well-being by helping users to regularly check their physiological status for precaution of abnormal condition.