Device and method of monitoring a position and predicting an exit of a subject on or from a substrate

A non-intrusive monitoring device for monitoring a subject, the device comprising:

• a divided bladder having a width and a length, the divided bladder comprising a first interleaved portion and a second interleaved portion, wherein the first interleaved portion has a first set of fingers and the second interleaved portion has a second set of fingers, wherein the first set of fingers is interleaved with the second set of fingers, wherein each of the first and second interleaved portions extends nearly the entire width of the divided bladder so as to define a horizontal axis extending laterally along the first and second interleaved portions;
• one or more first sensors in fluid communication with the first interleaved portion of the divided bladder and one or more second sensors in fluid communication with the second interleaved portion of the divided bladder wherein the one or more first and second sensors are configured to substantially concurrently generate signals in response to pressure variations resulting from movement of a subject horizontally along the horizontal axis of the interleaved portions of the divided bladder;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• receive signals from the one or more sensors for each of the interleaved portions;
• determine a horizontal position of the subject along the horizontal axis of the interleaved portions of the divided bladder as a function of a difference between the signals from each of the interleaved portions;
• and
• generate a horizontal position pattern for the subject over a period of time wherein the horizontal position pattern includes a plurality of positions along the horizontal axis and a trajectory of movement between the plurality of horizontal positions over the period of time.

A device for monitoring the position of a subject on a substrate, comprising:

• a sensing unit having a divided bladder having a width and a length, the divided bladder comprising a first interleaved portion and a second interleaved portion, wherein the first interleaved portion has a first set of fingers and the second interleaved portion has a second set of fingers, wherein the first set of fingers is interleaved with the second set of fingers, wherein each of the first and second interleaved portions extends nearly the entire width of the divided bladder so as to define a horizontal axis extending laterally along the first and second interleaved portions, and one or more sensors in fluid communication with each of the first and second interleaved portions, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to sense pressure variations within the divided bladder generated by movement of the subject along the horizontal axis of the interleaved portions and to generate signals indicative of the pressure variations;
• a processor configured to receive the signals and to determine and generate output indicative of a time-based pattern of the subject's horizontal position along the horizontal axis on the substrate as a function of the difference between the signals from each of the first and second interleaved portions;
• and
• an external device configured to display the output.