SCH: HOME: Health-Oriented Monitoring Empowered by Multimodal Cyber-Physical Systems for Geriatric Care - PROJECT SUMMARY: The aging U.S. population is driving a critical caregiver shortage, leading to high turnover and substantial emotional and financial burdens for formal and informal caregivers. Concurrently, older adults face complex health conditions requiring specialized, continuous monitoring. While artificial intelligence (Al) and Internet of Things (loT) technologies offer potential solutions, current systems lack the end-to-end integration, privacy-preserving adaptability, and expert intervention capabilities necessary for effective geriatric care. To address this gap, this project proposes HOME, a plug-and-play multi-agent system that integrates multimodal sensing, adaptive learning, and human-in-the-loop control. Project HOME is guided by the Geriatrics 4Ms framework (mentation, mobility, medication, and what matters most) and is structured around three primary objectives. First, the research will develop a self-refined cyber-physical system (CPS) that automates configurations and optimizes data quality by dynamically balancing sensing capabilities, computational resources, and user-perceived privacy. Second, the team will establish a digital biomarker modeling framework capable of extracting multi-resolution health features from both unobtrusive passive sensing (e.g., structural vibration) and opportunistic interactive sensing (e.g., speech and video via an interactive caregiving platform). Third, a hierarchical multi-agent orchestration framework will be implemented to coordinate modality switching, multimodal biomarker fusion, and clinician-in-the-loop decision support. The integrated system will be rigorously evaluated through a phased, real-world deployment at Eskaton senior living communities to assess system performance, feasibility, acceptability, and usability. Ultimately, Project HOME will advance the scientific foundation of multimodal cyber-physical systems, enabling proactive, personalized health monitoring that supports older adults' independence and reduces caregiver stress and strain.
