New Smart Shoes Technology Can Help Prevent Deadly Falls in the Elderly
Smart shoes have been created to stop the elderly and infirm from suffering potentially deadly falls. Unobtrusive sensors have been fitted to everyday footwear to build up a precise picture of their movements.
Preventing Falls with Smart Shoes
The technology behind the smart shoes focuses on two crucial measurements — the distance from the toe to the edge of the step, and the area of the foot planted safely on the top of the step. The data collected can be used to work out who is most likely to take a tumble on the stairs.
Trialling the Smart Shoe Technology
The smart shoe technology is currently being trialled in three test houses by biomechanists at Liverpool John Moores University. The researchers hope to further test the technology in people’s real homes. Costis Maganaris, a professor of musculoskeletal biomechanics at the university, explained that the “endgame is a product which would be able to judge an individual’s risk factor and warn them.”
Advancing Fall Prediction Technology
Maganaris also explained that the ‘smart shoe’ can provide data similar to that obtained using motion-capture in the gait lab. Additionally, it has the capacity to remotely harvest data that can advance a prototype measuring tool to predict stair falls.
Stairs: A Different Challenge
According to Maganaris, falls on the flat can generally be avoided by improving strength and balance. However, when it comes to stairs, the risk of falls is different and more challenging.
The data collected by the smart shoes could revolutionize how we approach fall prevention in the elderly and infirm, potentially saving lives and reducing the number of people hospitalized due to fall-related accidents.