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Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Emory University deployed HomePal, a home sensor system, in the homes of 70 adults ages 65 and older for three months. They are comparing its behavioral data with loneliness assessments; the system is still being evaluated and is not a diagnostic tool.
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Emory University have deployed a home sensor prototype called HomePal in the homes of 70 adults ages 65 and older, testing whether patterns in daily activity can help identify behavior associated with loneliness. The system is still under evaluation: the researchers are comparing sensor data with participants’ loneliness assessments and say it is intended to flag patterns for follow-up, not diagnose loneliness.
HomePal combines commercially available and custom sensors to passively collect information about movement, daily activities, sleep and phone use in participants’ homes. The prototype was used for three months by adults living independently in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The study describing its development was published in the journal Assessment.
The devices include motion and door sensors, smart plugs connected to televisions, sleep sensors and smart speakers. Researchers are also examining phone-call patterns as one possible measure of social connectedness. These signals may offer clues about changes in routine or social withdrawal, but the source material does not establish that any one behavior proves a person is lonely.
The team is comparing the collected data with biweekly loneliness assessments led by Chung, a former professor at VCU’s School of Nursing. Researchers are using an AI model to explore which measured patterns are associated with participants’ reported feelings and how closely the model’s results match the assessments. They have not reported a validated accuracy figure or a final model.
A Possible Signal Between Visits
Loneliness can be difficult for caregivers and clinicians to identify during a brief appointment, particularly if an older adult does not raise the subject. A system that tracks changes in ordinary routines could, if shown to be useful, give care teams another reason to check in between visits. The researchers describe the intended role as raising a flag for follow-up, rather than making a clinical determination.
The proposal could matter to older adults who live independently and to family members or professionals supporting them. HomePal’s envisioned daily score or trend might help caregivers notice a change over time and ask whether the person wants support. But whether the measurements reliably reflect loneliness, and whether acting on them improves care, remain questions for further research.
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How HomePal Is Being Evaluated
The project brings together researchers in computer science and nursing. Its central comparison is between data gathered from home sensors and participants’ answers to repeated assessments. That design lets the team examine whether certain behaviors coincide with reported loneliness; it does not, by itself, establish that the behaviors cause loneliness or can identify it accurately in other populations.
Study lead author Mohamed Kamel said the aim is to see whether everyday behavior can provide early signs that an older adult may be experiencing loneliness or social withdrawal. Researcher Nadeem described a possible future system that could share a flag with a patient or caregiver. The team has said it plans to keep analyzing the data, refining the sensors and evaluating its models before drawing conclusions about their performance.
The researchers ultimately hope to develop a product that could be installed around a home in a way similar to a security system. That is a future goal, not a description of a product currently shown to be ready for general use. The study was published in Assessment in 2026 under the title “Development of an AI-Enabled Remote Loneliness Assessment System for Older Adults Using Behavioral and Speech Data From IoT Sensors and Smart Speakers.”
“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 VCU computer science Ph.D. student
elderly activity monitoring sensors
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Accuracy and Privacy Questions Remain
The report does not provide a final measure of how accurately HomePal identifies patterns associated with loneliness, nor does it establish which sensor signals are most informative. It is also not clear whether results from this group of 70 Atlanta-area participants would apply to older adults in other settings or to people with different routines and living arrangements. The researchers’ comparison with assessments is ongoing.
Privacy is another open issue. The system currently uses smart speakers and television plugs, and the team says it could be adapted to use sensors that process or store data on local networks. Researchers have discussed choices about what could be shared and who could access stored information, but the report does not describe a finalized commercial privacy policy or deployment plan.
There is no evidence in the supplied report that HomePal has been approved as a medical device, is available for consumers, or has been shown to prevent or treat loneliness. A sensor-based flag would need to be interpreted cautiously and followed up with the person, rather than treated as a diagnosis.
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Researchers Continue Model Testing
The team plans to continue analyzing HomePal’s sensor data, developing its AI models and adjusting the device setup as it identifies which signals may be useful. A key next step is to compare the model’s output with the participants’ repeated loneliness assessments and establish how well the two correspond.
Any move toward a home product would depend on further evaluation, including how reliable the system is and how data are protected and shared. For now, HomePal remains a research prototype. The researchers say its potential role would be to prompt a conversation or check-in when a pattern appears concerning, not to replace a person’s account of how they feel or a caregiver’s judgment.
smart home devices for loneliness detection
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Key Questions
What is HomePal?
HomePal is a research prototype that uses home sensors and connected devices to collect information about movement, daily routines, sleep, television use, smart-speaker data and phone-call patterns. Researchers are studying whether those signals relate to reported loneliness.
Has HomePal been shown to diagnose loneliness?
No. The researchers say they are examining behavioral patterns that may be associated with loneliness and could merit follow-up. The system is not described as a diagnostic tool, and its accuracy is still being evaluated.
Who took part in the study?
The prototype was deployed for three months in the homes of 70 independently living adults aged 65 and older in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Researchers compared sensor information with loneliness assessments collected every two weeks.
What happens to the data?
The research team says HomePal could be adapted to use sensors that operate and store information locally, and that data sharing could be limited. The report does not set out a finalized privacy policy for a commercial product; the system remains under development.
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