All information from your participation will be kept strictly confidential. Data are stored securely in locked cabinets and password protected files and are made available only to the project staff. All your information will be marked by identification numbers only and data will be examined using machine learning algorithms.

Your family’s privacy is our number one priority! If you would like your audio data to be permanently deleted, please contact our project coordinator.

Of course! We aim to learn about children’s development in their natural environments, including the interactions they have with parents and siblings. We encourage you to speak with your family members about the study before signing up for participation.  Any adults in the home will be asked to sign a consent form before beginning recording.

The data collected by LittleBeats™ will be processed by a machine learning algorithm. A machine learning algorithm allows computers to do all of the work of taking input data and outputting results, which in turn, keeps your data more protected and private from human research staff.

If your child is interested in learning more about how this process works, we suggest reading an introductory article to machine learning!

https://towardsdatascience.com/childrens-guide-to-machine-learning-b90171f86cef

Your family’s privacy is our number one priority. Data will be processed using a machine learning algorithm, though project staff will periodically spot-check files for short periods of time (i.e., 30-second intervals).

Unfortunately, we will not be able to tell if LittleBeats™ has recorded until we receive the device. The data is stored on a secure SD-card that is only readable by our software program. The best way to ensure that the device is recording is to

charge LittleBeats™  overnight before each day of recording
check that a red blinking light appears on the back of LittleBeats™ when starting AND ending the recording

This red light indicates that the device is on and recording. If you notice that the red light has stopped blinking during the recording day, make a note in the daily diary.

LittleBeats™ can be worn while running errands or at the park. We encourage you to use LittleBeats™ while going about your regular routines, but remind you that you are free to power off or take off LittleBeats™ at any time. If you are with anyone outside of your family for an extended amount of time, we ask that you turn the device off.

Yes, your child is welcome to wear clothes on top of the LittleBeats™ shirt.

Yes, you are welcome to wash them! No worries about returning the LittleBeats™ washed though.

Please remove LittleBeats™ before putting your child in a car seat. You can completely remove LittleBeats™ and the ECG stickers, or at a minimum, take LittleBeats™ out of the shirt pocket while leaving the ECG stickers and wires attached.

LittleBeats™ is placed inside of a specially designed shirt pocket on the front of the shirt. In order to collect heart rate data, three ECG leads and stickers are placed on the chest and lower ribs.

Both adult and child participants have noted that after setting LittleBeats™ up, they feel comfortable going about their day, and often times forget LittleBeats™ is there!

We would be happy to have your child wear LittleBeats™ during nap time. However, we remind you that you are free to remove  LittleBeats™ at any time and ask that your child only wear LittleBeats™ at times that you are comfortable with them wearing the device.

LittleBeats™ is designed to be used in natural settings (e.g, the home, playgrounds, etc.) with minimal interruptions and where researchers are not present.

Further, LittleBeats™ collects three streams of data: heart rate, motion, and audio.

LittleBeats™ simultaneously collects motion, heart rate, and audio data.

LittleBeats™ is for research purposes only and therefore is not FDA-approved. LittleBeats™ should not be used for medical diagnoses.

LittleBeats™ will be attached to your child by placing three gel stickers on the skin near the neck and lower ribs. LittleBeats™ is very safe, does not interfere with movement, and does not require any invasive procedures beyond the gel stickers being stuck to the skin. They also peel off easily!

In appreciation of your time, your family will receive an Amazon gift card for completion of the study. Additionally, parents and children tend to enjoy participating in research of this kind. It gives parents an opportunity to play with their child and learn more about their child’s development.

For this project we will not be looking at individual results; rather, we will be evaluating at a group level. To stay up-to-date with our future publications, please visit our website. If you would like a copy of the publications, please send us a message to ui-littlebeats@illinois.edu to be added to our mailing list.

Please contact our project coordinator for more information.