FOOTWEAR-BASED MOTION & BODY BALANCE SENSOR SYSTEM
Working To Prevent Injury & Monitor Gait Through Pressure Detection
THE PROBLEM
Millions of older people sustain serious injuries each year in the U.S. due to falls. In fact, approximately 3 million people 65 and older head to the ER to be treated for falls each year. Of those, over 800,000 patients are hospitalized, most due to head injuries or hip fractures. Even if a fall does not cause a serious injury, it can make it much harder for a person to do everyday activities and live independently. As our elderly population grows, there is an urgent need to monitor balance and gauge fall risk proactively.
OUR SOLUTION
Researchers at The University of Alabama have developed a shoe-based plantar pressure sensor that detects motion, joint angles, and body balance for various movements. With six pressure sensors that can assess inertial probability, this novel innovation allows for a comfortable, natural, and unnoticeable experience while collecting and analyzing vital health data through back-calculation of biomechanics. This invention has wide-reaching applications in healthcare, rehabilitation, and sports medicine.
THE ADVANTAGES
- Highly sensitive & accurate predictive model
- Reduces the amount of equipment to monitor motion & fall risk
- Incorporates inertial sensors for added data
- More cost-effective & more accessible than current camera-based or inertial measurement unit (IMU) motion tracking
