Contact-free home monitoring for sleep apnea

SCH: Contactless and Engagement-free Sleep Apnea Monitoring and Characterization

NIH-funded research University of Georgia · NIH-11115825

A contact-free system using smart sensors and AI to monitor adults' sleep and detect signs of obstructive sleep apnea at home.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Georgia NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Athens, United States)
Project IDNIH-11115825 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

You would have sensors placed in your bedroom that do not touch you and do not require wearing devices, while AI turns the sensor signals into breathing, heart rate, and movement patterns linked to sleep apnea. The team will build an Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform that works in real time and is designed to run without you needing to interact with it. Researchers plan to collect home sleep data from adults and use data science methods to translate raw signals into clinically meaningful vital signs and behaviors. They may compare the contactless readings to standard sleep test results to improve accuracy and usability.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older who sleep at home and have symptoms or risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea, such as loud snoring or daytime sleepiness, would be ideal candidates.

Not a fit: This project is not aimed at children or people requiring in-hospital monitoring, and it may not fully replace diagnostic polysomnography for complex cases.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help adults spot sleep apnea earlier at home and reduce the need for some sleep-lab visits.

How similar studies have performed: Previous contactless and wearable sleep-monitoring approaches have shown promise, but fully engagement-free home IoT systems with real-time AI remain relatively new.

Where this research is happening

Athens, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
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Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.