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Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Emory University tested HomePal, a home sensor system, in the homes of 70 independently living adults aged 65 and older in metro Atlanta. The study is examining whether patterns in movement, sleep, daily activity and phone use align with participants’ reported loneliness; the system has not been shown to diagnose loneliness.
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Emory University have tested a home sensing system called HomePal in the homes of 70 adults aged 65 and older, to study whether everyday behavior may be associated with loneliness. The three-month deployment gathered data on movement, sleep, activity and phone use; researchers are comparing those patterns with participants’ reported feelings, rather than claiming the system can diagnose loneliness.
HomePal combines commercial and custom sensors that operate in participants’ homes. Motion and door sensors record activity around the home, smart television plugs estimate TV use, sleep sensors track rest patterns, and smart speakers can collect speech-related information. The research also examines phone call patterns as a possible indicator of social connectedness.
The researchers’ next analytical step is to compare sensor data with biweekly loneliness assessments completed by participants. The Virginia Commonwealth University team is using an AI model to investigate which behavioral patterns are associated with the assessment results and how closely the two sources of information correspond. The study was published in the journal Assessment.
Mohamed Kamel, a computer science doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University and the study’s lead author, said the research asks whether daily behavior at home may offer early signs of loneliness or social withdrawal. The research team says it is still developing models and evaluating their accuracy against survey-based assessments.
A Possible Signal Between Visits
Loneliness may be difficult for care teams to identify during a short clinic visit, particularly when an older person does not raise the issue. HomePal explores whether changes in familiar routines could give families or caregivers a reason to check in and ask questions. If later research supports the approach, trends in activity or sleep could complement what an individual reports during an assessment.
That potential is not the same as detecting loneliness reliably. A change in phone use, sleep or time spent watching television can have many explanations, and sensor data alone cannot establish how someone feels. The researchers describe the system as a possible way to flag patterns for follow-up, not to make a diagnosis or replace conversations and professional judgment.
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From Home Sensors to Assessments
The HomePal project brings together researchers in computer science and nursing. Its study involved 70 independently living adults aged 65 and older in the metro Atlanta area, with the system operating in their homes for three months. The research team is pairing this passive data collection with repeated assessments of loneliness, rather than treating a single sensor reading as a conclusion.
The project’s longer-term aim is a system that could be installed in a home in a way similar to a home security setup, and provide a daily score or trend for the person or a caregiving team. That remains a proposed future product: the current work is focused on analyzing the study data, developing AI models and adjusting the sensors as researchers learn more.
“The main idea is to see whether everyday behavior at home can give early signs that an older adult may be experiencing loneliness or social withdrawal.”
— Mohamed Kamel, study lead author and Virginia Commonwealth University computer science doctoral student
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Accuracy and Privacy Still Under Study
The report does not provide results showing that HomePal can accurately identify loneliness, nor does it establish which sensor patterns most reliably correspond to participants’ assessments. The team is still analyzing the data and comparing model output with biweekly self-reports. How often the system might produce a useful alert, or how well it would work beyond this group of 70 participants, is not yet clear.
Privacy is another open issue because the current setup includes smart speakers and television plugs. Nadeem said the system could be modified to use sensors that process and store data locally, and that researchers have flexibility over what information is shared. The report does not specify a final product’s data policies, storage design or caregiver access controls. The researchers also have not established whether a daily loneliness score would improve care or how it should guide treatment.
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Further Analysis Before Any Product
The researchers plan to continue analyzing the collected data, refining the AI models and adjusting HomePal’s sensors. A key next step is to assess whether the patterns detected by the models match the participants’ survey responses with enough consistency to be useful. The researchers have not announced a completion date for that work or a timeline for commercial release.
Any later version would need to address both validation and data privacy, including what information is collected, where it is stored and who can view it. For now, HomePal remains a research system intended to explore possible signals that might prompt a caregiver to follow up with an older adult.
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Key Questions
What is HomePal?
HomePal is a research system that combines home sensors to record patterns such as movement, sleep, television use and phone calls. Researchers are studying whether those patterns correspond with older adults’ reported loneliness.
Has HomePal been shown to detect or diagnose loneliness?
No. The researchers are still comparing sensor data with biweekly loneliness assessments. They describe the aim as identifying patterns that may merit follow-up, not diagnosing loneliness.
Who took part in the study?
The prototype was deployed for three months in the homes of 70 adults aged 65 and older who lived independently in metro Atlanta.
What information does the system collect?
The reported setup includes data on movement, door activity, television use, sleep, speech-related patterns and phone calls. The researchers say the system could be adapted to use sensors that store data locally, but final privacy arrangements have not been set out.
When could HomePal become available to the public?
The researchers have described a commercial product as a longer-term goal, but no release date has been announced. They are continuing data analysis and model development, and the system’s accuracy and practical use still need evaluation.
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