Researchers at University of South Florida are working on something quite laudable. They are trying to figure out whether this RFID based system could be deployed as diagnosis tool for keeping watch on the movements of the patient. Labeled as Health Research Management and Evaluation System or HERMES (not the messenger from Greek mythology), it can track the movement of patients and on the basis of information collected it could be used for diagnosing dementia at early stages.

RFID is already being used to take care of dementia patients at medical care facilities but this RFID system would be used for diagnosing the disease at onset. Here a computer program is used for scanning patterns of movement of the person and the RFID system works towards feeding the data collected into the program so that it could be analyzed in a scientific manner and arrive at results.

Early detection becomes more important as certain drugs would work only if the patient takes them before the brain reaches a certain stage of decaying. The HERMES system is being tested and it could prove as a vital link in curing dementia before it plays havoc with the life of an individual.