A Flicker of Recognition: Light-Based Guidance System for Brain Trauma Patients Honored by "Oscars of Applied Research"

Talking Lights LLC, supported by NSF's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop a technology that uses fluorescent light fixtures to communicate digital and analog data, has received an R&D 100 Award for 2002 for its Healthcare Electro-Optical Locator (HEAL) system. An innovative locating and guidance technology designed for use in hospitals, HEAL is the only system that automates the task of escorting patients from one location to the next within a health care facility. The R&D 100 Award, also known as the "Oscars of applied research," cites HEAL for enhancing the care of patients recovering from traumatic brain injuries by giving them more autonomy and by freeing up caregivers' time.

A patient at Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital receives automated directions from the Healthcare Electro-Optical Locator (HEAL) system.

Studies confirm that the use of HEAL cuts in half the need for staff intervention in patient trips from one part of the hospital to another. HEAL also produces dramatic benefits in terms of patients' arriving for their therapy appointments on time (a reduction in lateness from an average of 5 minutes to 12 seconds) and in a clearer mental state.

HEAL works by encoding messages in the imperceptible flicker of fluorescent lights already installed in many hospitals and other institutional settings. Light fixtures are modified to produce individual locator signals. (See related article.) Patients are provided with a photocell and handheld computer (PDA), which may be attached to their wheelchairs and/or clothing. Programmed with the patient's schedule and a map of the facility, the PDA reminds patients of appointments and tells them how to get there. If the patient does not respond to reminders, hospital staff are alerted. A patient who takes a wrong turn will be notified to turn back and provided with specific directions at every turn about how to proceed to the scheduled destination.

Sharing the R&D 100 Award were the three partners responsible for developing HEAL: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, as well as Talking Lights LLC. Among the 100 awards, HEAL was one of six singled out for a spotlighted profile in the October 2002 issue of R&D magazine, sponsor of the award.

Besides its use by HEAL in hospital settings, the patented Talking Lights™ technology has many other potential applications. Because it uses preexisting lighting infrastructure with only minor modifications, Talking Lights™ systems provide a flexible, relatively low-cost means for establishing a targeted communications network. It is being tested in home settings, where it may help Alzheimer's patients remain longer in home care before being institutionalized. The system can also provide directions to the visually impaired attempting to navigate unfamiliar hallways. Via receivers in security badges, Talking Lights™ systems can notify a visitor to a secured site that she has entered a restricted area and ask her to leave, while simultaneously notifying security staff and tracking her retreat.