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Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Emory University deployed HomePal, a passive home-sensing system, in the homes of 70 adults aged 65 and older for three months. They are comparing sensor data with loneliness assessments to learn whether behavior patterns may warrant caregiver follow-up; the system’s accuracy has not yet been established.
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Emory University have tested a home sensor system called HomePal in the homes of 70 independently living adults aged 65 and older, looking for everyday behavior patterns that may be associated with loneliness. The team is comparing the collected data with participants’ loneliness assessments; the system is still being evaluated and is not a tool for diagnosing loneliness.
HomePal combines commercially available and custom smart home devices to passively record aspects of daily life, including movement, sleep, television use and phone activity. Motion and door sensors can register activity around the home; smart plugs estimate television use; sleep sensors track rest patterns; and the system can collect speech-related data through smart speakers, similar to features found in home monitoring systems for seniors. Phone-call patterns are included as a possible measure of social connectedness.
The researchers deployed the prototype for three months in metro Atlanta. They plan to compare sensor records with loneliness assessments collected every two weeks. The research team is using an AI model to examine which measured patterns, if any, are associated with assessment results. The paper describing the system was published in the journal Assessment in 2026.
The project’s goal is to identify changes that could prompt a conversation or follow-up from a caregiver, rather than to make a clinical determination. The researchers say a future version might summarize patterns as a daily score or trend. That possibility depends on further model development and testing; the report does not establish that HomePal can reliably identify loneliness or improve health outcomes.
A Possible Signal Between Visits
Loneliness can be difficult for clinicians and caregivers to recognize during occasional appointments, particularly when an older adult does not raise the subject. A system that tracks changes in routines could, if shown to be useful, give care teams another reason to check in between visits. The potential value is earlier follow-up, not replacing direct conversation or professional assessment.
HomePal also brings behavioral monitoring into a private setting. Its readings could reflect many things besides loneliness: changes in health, mobility, household routines or personal preference may affect sleep, movement and phone use. Those signals would need careful interpretation, and any alert would be a prompt to ask questions—not proof of a person’s emotional state.
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How HomePal Collects Daily Patterns
The study joins sensor data with recurring self-reports. Participants’ feelings are assessed every two weeks, while sensors record selected activities between those assessments. This lets researchers explore whether changes in routine correspond with what participants report, rather than assuming that a particular behavior by itself means someone is lonely.
Mohamed Kamel, the study’s lead author and a computer science Ph.D. student at VCU, described the central research question as whether everyday behavior at home can provide early signs of loneliness or social withdrawal. The team includes expertise from computer science and nursing, including assessment work led by former VCU School of Nursing professor Chung. The system remains a research prototype, and its analysis is ongoing.
“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
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Accuracy and Privacy Still Under Study
The report does not provide validated accuracy figures for HomePal, nor does it show that sensor patterns can distinguish loneliness from other causes of changed behavior. The researchers are still comparing the system’s analysis with biweekly assessments. It is also not clear whether a future system would produce reliable alerts across different households or populations.
Privacy is another open question as the prototype uses smart speakers and television plugs. The team says HomePal could be adapted to use sensors that process and store information on local networks, and that choices could be made about what is shared with caregivers. The report does not specify a final commercial design, data-retention rules or how consent and access would be managed in a finished product.
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Further Analysis Before Home Use
The researchers plan to continue analyzing the collected data, refining their AI models and adjusting the sensors as they learn which signals may be relevant. A key next step is to test how closely model results match the participants’ assessments and establish whether any detected patterns are meaningful enough to justify follow-up.
The team hopes eventually to develop a system that could be installed in homes much like a security system and share a trend with a person or caregiver. That remains a future goal, not an available service. The researchers have not reported a launch date or said when a commercial version might be ready.
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Key Questions
What is HomePal?
HomePal is a research prototype that uses household sensors and connected devices to record selected patterns such as movement, sleep, television use and phone activity. Researchers are examining whether these patterns correspond with reported loneliness.
Does HomePal diagnose loneliness?
No. Lead author Mohamed Kamel said the researchers are not trying to diagnose loneliness directly. The system is being studied as a way to identify patterns that could merit a conversation or follow-up.
How many people took part in the home test?
The prototype was deployed for three months in the homes of 70 adults aged 65 and older who were living independently in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Has the system been shown to work accurately?
The report does not give validated accuracy results. Researchers are still comparing the AI analysis of sensor data with loneliness assessments collected every two weeks.
How might HomePal protect privacy?
The researchers say the system could be modified to process and store data locally and allow choices about what is shared with caregivers. Final privacy rules and product design have not been reported.
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