Researchers from several University schools recently developed a wireless sensory network technology designed to help doctors and researchers monitor the gait of patients and determine their risk for falls.
Regina Carlson, director of development at the University’s Institute on Aging, said the sensor can be worn around the wrist and transmits real-time data on a patient’s gait via the internet. It allows whoever receives the data to track the patient’s gait and detect any problems that could lead to falls. The sensor is also equipped with a panic button that lets patients notify emergency services or their caregivers if they need medical assistance.
Researchers from the College, Medical, Engineering and Nursing Schools contributed to the device’s development.
“This project is a great example of how we can take an interdisciplinary approach and can come up with new technology because we’re taking the latest research across these different disciplines,” Carlson said.
According to the Center for Disease Control, one in three adults aged 65 and older falls each year and of those who fall, 20 to 30 percent suffer injuries that inhibit their ability to live independently. Carlson said the device will significantly enhance the capacity of senior citizens to function on their own, which studies show is essential to long-term health and well-being.
“One of the critical things with healthy aging is that people can live better when they live at home longer rather than moving to nursing homes,” Carlson said.
John Lach, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, spearheaded the technical efforts to create the device throughout the past five years. Lach said he hoped the device could function as a “wearable wireless motion capture system,” something that could easily translate across a wide array of disciplines.
The main applications thus far, however, have been in the field of health care. Along with monitoring gait, the device is being tested with diseases such as Parkinson’s, in which a motion capture device such as this could measure the intensity of a patient’s tremors and help determine the severity of the condition, Lach said.
Lach plans to work in tandem with AFrame Digital, a Virginia-based company that will set up wireless networks in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to collect and transmit data from the sensory devices. AFrame President and CEO Cindy Crump said the data can also be transmitted to a doctor’s cell phone or other mobile devices through AFrame’s pre-established wireless infrastructure.
“This is a very critical area,” Crump said. “We’re very excited about working with Lach and his team.”
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