Welcome to the Computer Laboratory of Ambient and Wearable Systems in Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Alabama. The laboratory is engaged in several cutting edge research projects developing wearable devices for physiological and behavioral monitoring. The laboratory develops state-of-the-art technologies working in close collaboration with leading clinical researchers in the areas of nutrition and obesity, rehabilitation, physical activity monitoring, addiction and others.

On this site you may find description of projects, links to papers and datasets.

The Automatic Ingestion Monitor (AIM) was developed and validated in our previous and ongoing NIH-funded projects. The AIM is a passive food intake sensor requiring no self-report of eating episodes, just compliance with wearing the device. The AIM (AIM-2) capable of automatic detection of food intake, characterization of meal microstructure and capturing images of the food being eaten. 

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), particularly e-cigarettes, are increasingly prevalent, with their use matching or surpassing conventional cigarettes in certain age groups. Unlike combustible cigarettes, ENDS allow on-demand access to single puffs. Despite the central importance of accurate characterization of ENDS puff behavior in the natural environment, current assessment approaches are quite limited. To overcome critical barriers to progress in the field, we propose to evaluate and deploy an inexpensive instrument that can accurately, objectively, and non-obtrusively track real-time puff behavior across a wide variety of ENDS products without interrupting the natural behavior of the user. The Flexible Robust Instrumentation of ENDS (FRIENDS) monitor employs a miniature non-contact electromagnetic sensor that detects the current flow from the battery through the heater coil, allowing detection of puffs and puff duration regardless of ENDS generation and/or physical form (e.g., cig-alikes, pens, tanks, and pods systems).