CareVolutionAI: when smart sensors support care processes

How can long-term care facilities and hospitals improve patient safety without placing an additional burden on staff? The cross-border CareVolutionAI (German) project is dedicated to addressing this question. Alongside partners from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, HTWG University of Applied Sciences Konstanz is providing scientific support for the project and investigating how AI-powered sensor technology can assist caregivers in their daily work while also promoting data-driven care processes.

At the heart of the system is a contactless sensor system for nursing and hospital rooms. The sensors track movement and activity patterns in the room and, using embedded AI algorithms, detect risks such as falls, unusual movements, or prolonged periods of immobility. Critical events are automatically reported to the nursing staff. The system does not process any video, image, or audio data, but only aggregated depth information.

However, event detection alone is not the key factor. The continuous analysis of movement and activity patterns enables a shift from a predominantly reactive approach to a more preventive one in care. Instead of reacting only after falls or other critical events occur, caregivers can detect changes early on and take appropriate action.

For long-term care facilities, such solutions offer versatile added value. Continuously collected data can help improve process management and identify developments early on. As a result, AI-supported assistance systems become a tool for quality management, resource planning, and evidence-based decision-making. Such connected processes are becoming more important, especially in light of limited staffing resources.

Smart sensor technology promises greater safety for those in need of care and reduced workload for staff. However, whether this potential is actually realized in everyday care settings will only become clear through practical application. This is precisely why HTWG University of Applied Sciences Konstanz is providing scientific support for CareVolutionAI.

As part of an international study conducted across multiple facilities in the German-Austrian-Swiss Lake Constance region, the research team is examining the system’s impact on care quality, workload, and patient safety. The goal is not only to evaluate the system's technical functionality but also to demonstrate its actual benefits under real-world care conditions.

This is essential, as investments in digital technologies must not only function technically but also deliver demonstrable improvements in the quality of care, workload, and process organization. Only reliable data will make it possible to integrate digital solutions sustainably into everyday care and replicate them at other facilities.

CareVolutionAI exemplifies a development that goes beyond fall prevention. Digital care assistance systems serve as tools to support caregivers with additional information, identify risks earlier, and make more targeted decisions.