Wearable Electronic DevicesNCT05547425
WildCam: A Privacy Conscious Wearable Eating Detection Camera People Will Actually Wear in the Wild
A study testing Blur Obfuscation, Edge Obfuscation and Cartoon Obfuscation in people with Wearable Electronic Devices, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
WildCam is a wearable device that collects video data of the user's face and upper torso to capture eating behaviors. WildCam and its accompanying software is privacy conscious, meaning it utilizes a computer vision algorithm that extracts proximal features (the user's body and objects-in-hand) from the video and… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 64 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Wearable Electronic Devices
- What is being tested?
- Blur Obfuscation, Edge Obfuscation and Cartoon Obfuscation
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 20 Sep 2022to 21 Mar 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 64 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- BMI 30 or greater
- Chicago Metro Area resident
- Able to speak, read, and write in English
- Valid phone number
- Smartphone ownership
- Have Wi-Fi at home
Who cannot join
- 15% or greater weight change in last 3 months
- Medication related weight gain
- Genetic obesity syndrome (e.g., Prader-Willi, Bardet-Biedl, Cohen Syndrome)
- Member of household enrolled in study
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Northwestern University Department of Preventive Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, 60611
About this study
WildCam is a wearable device that collects video data of the user's face and upper torso to capture eating behaviors. WildCam and its accompanying software is privacy conscious, meaning it utilizes a computer vision algorithm that extracts proximal features (the user's body and objects-in-hand) from the video and digitally obfuscates the distal features (background environment and entities therein) to preserve the privacy of the wearer, as well as any bystanders who may be in the device's visual field. The present study tests the impact of 3 different obfuscation techniques on acceptability, including the willingness of users to wear the device. Participants are randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 obfuscation techniques (blurring, masking, or cartooning). Participants wear the WildCam during waking hours during a 7-day period with the randomly selected obfuscation setting enabled and a 7-day period with the raw images (no obfuscation) setting. The order of these periods is counterbalanced, and the two periods are separated by a 7-day washout period during which WildCam is not worn. Structured feedback, including user burden and acceptability surveys, is collected to determine the efficacy of each obfuscation technique on increasing user acceptability, including willingness to use the WildCam device, as opposed to a video-collecting device without obfuscation.
- Conditions
- Wearable Electronic Devices
- Being tested
- Blur Obfuscation, Edge Obfuscation, Cartoon Obfuscation, Raw images
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Blur ObfuscationDevice
Blurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images.
Edge ObfuscationDevice
Objects and people in the background of images are replaced with an outline of the object.
Cartoon ObfuscationDevice
Blurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images and the wearer's face is concealed with cartoon faces.
Raw imagesDevice
No editing is performed on images.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Blur obfuscation | Experimental | Blurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images. Receives: Device: Blur Obfuscation |
| Edge obfuscation | Experimental | Objects and people in the background of images are replaced with an outline of the object. Receives: Device: Edge Obfuscation |
| Cartoon obfuscation | Experimental | Blurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images and the wearer's face is concealed with cartoon faces. Receives: Device: Cartoon Obfuscation |
| Raw images | Experimental | No editing is performed on images. Receives: Device: Raw images |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mean Wear Time
Average duration in minutes of data collected per day, calculated from video time stamps
Measured: 7 days
Secondary outcomes (1)
Acceptability
Score (0-80) obtained from User Burden Scale (Suh. et al 2016), collected post-study
Measured: 7 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted21 Sep 2022
- Study start20 Sep 2022
- Primary completion21 Mar 2023
- Study completion21 Mar 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Wearable Electronic DevicesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Northwestern UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Of the 3 obfuscation settings (blur, mask, cartoon), participants are randomly assigned to 1, which they test for the first or second 7-day test period. During the remaining test period, participants use WildCam with the raw images setting. There is a washout period between each test period. The order of the test sequence is counterbalanced across participants to reduce carryover effects.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Nabil Alshurafa, Northwestern University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05547425
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STU00213549
- Other IDs
- 1R03DK127128-01
- Status last verified
- Oct 2023
- First submitted
- 24 May 2022
- Last updated
- 27 Oct 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Oct 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- WildCam: A Privacy Conscious Wearable Eating Detection Camera People Will Actually Wear in the Wild
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05547425
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STU00213549
- Conditions
- Wearable Electronic Devices
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- Study start
- 20 Sep 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 21 Mar 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 21 Mar 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 21 Sep 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
WildCam is a wearable device that collects video data of the user's face and upper torso to capture eating behaviors. WildCam and its accompanying software is privacy conscious, meaning it utilizes a computer vision algorithm that extracts proximal features (the user's body and objects-in-hand) from the video and digitally obfuscates the distal features (background environment and entities therein) to preserve the privacy of the wearer, as well as any bystanders who may be in the device's visual field. The present study tests the impact of 3 different obfuscation techniques on acceptability, including the willingness of users to wear the device. Participants are randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 obfuscation techniques (blurring, masking, or cartooning). Participants wear the WildCam during waking hours during a 7-day period with the randomly selected obfuscation setting enabled and a 7-day period with the raw images (no obfuscation) setting. The order of these periods is counterbalanced, and the two periods are separated by a 7-day washout period during which WildCam is not worn. Structured feedback, including user burden and acceptability surveys, is collected to determine the efficacy of each obfuscation technique on increasing user acceptability, including willingness to use the WildCam device, as opposed to a video-collecting device without obfuscation.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 4
- Model description
- Of the 3 obfuscation settings (blur, mask, cartoon), participants are randomly assigned to 1, which they test for the first or second 7-day test period. During the remaining test period, participants use WildCam with the raw images setting. There is a washout period between each test period. The order of the test sequence is counterbalanced across participants to reduce carryover effects.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Blur obfuscation | Experimental | Device: Blur ObfuscationBlurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images. |
| Edge obfuscation | Experimental | Device: Edge ObfuscationObjects and people in the background of images are replaced with an outline of the object. |
| Cartoon obfuscation | Experimental | Device: Cartoon ObfuscationBlurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images and the wearer's face is concealed with cartoon faces. |
| Raw images | Experimental | Device: Raw imagesNo editing is performed on images. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 64 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- BMI 30 or greater
- Chicago Metro Area resident
- Able to speak, read, and write in English
- Valid phone number
- Smartphone ownership
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 15% or greater weight change in last 3 months
- Medication related weight gain
- Genetic obesity syndrome (e.g., Prader-Willi, Bardet-Biedl, Cohen Syndrome)
- Member of household enrolled in study
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Blur ObfuscationBlurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images. | Device | Blur obfuscation |
| Edge ObfuscationObjects and people in the background of images are replaced with an outline of the object. | Device | Edge obfuscation |
| Cartoon ObfuscationBlurring is applied to objects and people in the background of images and the wearer's face is concealed with cartoon faces. | Device | Cartoon obfuscation |
| Raw imagesNo editing is performed on images. | Device | Raw images |
Primary outcome
Mean Wear Time
Time frame: 7 days
Average duration in minutes of data collected per day, calculated from video time stamps
1 secondary outcome
Acceptability
Time frame: 7 days
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Oct 2023.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Blur Obfuscation, Edge Obfuscation and Cartoon Obfuscation in people with Wearable Electronic Devices, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Oct 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Mean Wear Time (time frame: 7 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Oct 2023.