A thimble instead of a crutch

A wearable device prevents elderly people from falling

Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+

With age, the sense of balance worsens, and people begin to sway slightly when walking. The risk of falls and fractures increases, after which it is difficult for elderly people to recover. Japanese engineers have come up with a solution – an electronic device that is put on a finger and gives a signal if a person loses balance.

Article by Shima et al. A wearable light-touch contact device for human balance support is published in the journal Scientific Reports. The idea of the gadget is based on the fact that even with closed eyes, a person who lightly touches a piece of cloth or paper stretched in front of him with his fingertips gets enough incentive to reduce swinging, despite the lack of real support on a cane or a "walker" – VM.

The researchers decided to use this "light touch" effect when creating an electronic device, according to a press release of the Wearable accelerometer and vibrator 'thimble' could reduce falls among seniors. After the first experiments using motion capture cameras to track the process of loss of balance, scientists switched to body-mounted accelerometers that performed the same task.

When the gadget notices that the user begins to sway, it activates a vibro-tactile device worn on the index finger of the leading hand. It begins to buzz, and the intensity and direction of the vibrations correspond to how much and where the body has deviated.

The experimental system was tested on 150 volunteers aged 60 to 90 years. The results showed that the device significantly reduces rocking. The next task of developers is to make the system lighter and smaller, as well as to increase its efficiency.

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