Feasibility of using Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors to detect magnifier usage by low vision patients

Feasibility of using Bluetooth low energy beacon sensors to detect magnifier usage by low vision patients

Purpose: Bluetooth low energy beacons are an emerging technology involving sensors that record temperature and humidity, which we hypothesize could be used to collect data from low vision patients regarding their usage of optical magnification devices. This could help ascertain device abandonment in a timely manner to prompt a telerehabilitation session to resolve issues. We evaluated whether Bluetooth beacon data could indicate when low vision patients used hand-held optical magnifiers for reading.

Methods: We recorded temperature and/or humidity data from Estimote sticker and BlueMaestro Tempo DiscTM beacons attached to optical magnifiers used for reading by low vision patients in clinic (n=16) and at home (n=3).

Results: In clinic, patients whose hand/fingers made direct vs. indirect contact with Estimote beacons had greater temperature increases on average from baseline after 30 seconds (0.73°C vs. 0.28°C), 60 seconds (1.04°C vs. 0.40°C), 90 seconds (1.39°C vs. 0.60°C), 105-120 seconds (1.59°C vs. 0.62°C), and 135-150 seconds (2.07°C vs. 0.97°C). At home, BlueMaestroTM beacons measured rapidly increased temperature (5.6°C per minute on average; range 2.7-7.3°C) and relative humidity (19.4% per minute on average; range 8.7-34%). Humidity reached its maximum increase and returned to baseline significantly quicker than temperature (P=0.007). All increases during magnifier usage were much greater than the maximum room fluctuations without use (clinic: 0.2°C over 120 seconds; home: 0.6°C and 2.4% over 1 minute). The beacons were non-intrusive and acceptable by patients.

Conclusions: Estimote and BlueMaestroTM beacons reliably detected temperature and/or humidity increases when held by low vision patients while reading with a magnifier.