Using a wearable device to monitor infant sleep, activity, and household noise

Automated Assessment of Infant Sleep/Wake States, Physical Activity, and Household Noise Using a Multimodal Wearable Device and Deep Learning Models

NIH-funded research University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11141244

This study is testing a new wearable device called LittleBeats that helps parents keep track of their baby's sleep and activity at home, so they can better understand how these two important parts of health are connected during early development.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Champaign, United States)
Project IDNIH-11141244 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research focuses on developing a wearable device called LittleBeats that can monitor infants' sleep and physical activity in their natural home environments. The device collects audio data, heart rate information, and movement patterns to provide a comprehensive assessment of infant health behaviors. By utilizing advanced deep learning algorithms, the study aims to analyze this data to better understand the interconnectedness of sleep and physical activity during early development. This approach addresses the unique challenges of assessing infants, which have not been adequately covered by existing methods designed for older children and adults.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are infants aged 0-11 months who are experiencing sleep or activity-related concerns.

Not a fit: Patients who are older than 11 months or do not have any sleep or activity-related issues may not benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved understanding and interventions for infant health and development.

How similar studies have performed: While there has been success in using wearable devices for older populations, this approach for infants is novel and untested.

Where this research is happening

Champaign, 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.
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.