The dream of ageing safely and independently for seniors living alone has moved a step closer to reality, thanks to a network of smart sensors that knows their routines well enough to spot a missed pill or repeated forgetfulness.
This “silent guardian” is the centrepiece of one of Singapore Management University’s (SMU) newest artificial intelligence-led initiatives,
called the Sensors In-home for Elder Wellbeing
, a collaboration between the university and Sengkang General Hospital.
The project, which aims to detect mild cognitive impairment before it progresses to dementia, utilises a network of nine non-intrusive “ambient intelligent” sensors installed in a senior’s home – including a wearable one – to track daily routines without the need for cameras or microphones.
These devices monitor room-to-room transitions, sleep patterns and medication-taking behaviour, while the wearable one tracks heart rate and step count. The system then creates a detailed picture of a senior’s cognitive health over time.
Professor Alan Chan, SMU’s provost, says this work is distinctive because the AI models and sensors are designed to be easy to interpret, so clinicians can understand why a risk is flagged based on changes in everyday behaviour.
This allows caregivers and clinicians to intervene before any decline becomes severe, and supports independent living while ensuring human oversight, he says.
“These are not technology demonstrations,” says Prof Chan, but part of the university’s efforts to go beyond the classroom and lead the charge in applying AI to real-world challenges.
“We are not using AI simply because it is available. We deploy AI where it sharpens human judgment, strengthens resilience and addresses real problems.”
As the digital age matures, SMU has spent the last few years overhauling its policies and redesigning assessments to ensure academic integrity. With that in the works, the university is now increasingly looking outward.
From eldercare to workforce resilience, the university is positioning itself at the forefront of research that solves societal problems, while keeping one principle non-negotiable: human centricity, says Prof Chan.
In the professor’s first sit-down interview with media, he tells The Straits Times how SMU maintains this principle in its stakeholder relations, its new policies and frameworks for students and educators, and how it seeks to lead the charge to harness the potential of AI.
high-profile plagiarism cases of students using AI for assignments
. As a provost, how do you manage the line between using AI as a tool and maintaining independence in learning? If a degree is “outsourced” to AI, what is the point of a university?
A: We view AI as a technology to enhance education, not replace it. Our goal is for students to learn about AI, learn to use AI and learn with AI, but, most importantly, to learn beyond AI.
While AI is a powerful tool, over-reliance can hinder metacognitive development – the ability to understand one’s own thought processes.
