Why Seniors Have More Problems with Falling
As people age, proprioception can decline.
Proprioception is the sense or awareness of where your various body parts are in relation to each other. An example of normal proprioception is being able to close your eyes and alternate touching your nose with your right and left index fingers. It’s your internal sense of where your fingers are in relation to your nose that allows you to do that.
You also use proprioception when leaning to navigate through a dark room without bumping into anything.
How the Ankle Brace Works
The ankle brace is fitted with a tiny chip, which continuously monitors the wearer’s ankle position. If the chip detects that the ankle is rolling more than is normal, the chip vibrates, signaling the wearer to shift to foot position or balance to avoid falling.
The students—Tim Ramsey, Ryan McDonnell, Buzzy Bonneau, Tejas Mazmudar, Jeremy Dittmer and Surag Mantri, all part of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Program—wanted to “come up with something that would detect the body's position in relation to its surroundings, a sense that decreases as people get older.”
The students also wanted to create a device that would help to prevent falling while being more discreet and less cumbersome than walkers and canes.
Next Steps for the ‘Smart’ Ankle Brace
The ankle brace design is in a preliminary stage and will need further testing and funding. Stanford University News Service reports that the students are hopeful that it will eventually become available to all people over the age of 65, but initial plans include targeting high-risk groups first, which include diabetics with peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson's patients, and people with high degrees of proprioceptive loss.
