Camera networks and computer vision for telehealth applications

In this paper we look at how camera networks can be used in the healthcare industry for remote patient monitoring. This type of network would be installed in the home and have the ability to alert officials should an emergency arise. A network of this kind could be of benefit to many, and in particular to the growing number of elderly citizens by helping them to maintain their independent lifestyles as they mature. Camera networks play an important role in many other tasks as well, from surveillance to virtual environments. For this application, it is very important to consider how the camera network is set up. To this aim we explore the steps of designing and building a small-scale camera network, which incorporates background subtraction methods to monitor an individual's movement throughout the living space, and for this study is restricted to a single room. In the final implementation multiple cameras would be used to determine the internal and external parameters of each and to improve the background subtraction accuracy. In this paper we look at the use of a single camera to gather visual data and to investigate background subtraction techniques.