The sensor in the sole help of the elderly - Kristianstadsbladet

Text: TT
Published January 4, 2014 13:15 Updated January 4, 2014 13:18 2014-01-04 13:15:39
larger or smaller text

Stockholm.

Smart shoes can be an aid in the future care of the elderly.

same technology can also do the firefighters job safer.

Researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) has developed technology that could be used in different environments.

In an ongoing project to be advanced sensors built into the sole of the shoe to provide a very detailed picture of the foot movements. The information can be used to assess older people’s need for assistive devices.

- It is about controlling the person’s movement and see when there is a need for such a cane or walker, explains Peter Handel, Professor of signal processing at KTH.Hela step

sensors in the shoe works – in simple terms – as a very sophisticated pedometer.

- A pedometer does not know more than you take a step. Here you get a description of the whole step movement, and can see the balance and how the forces are distributed when you put the foot down, says Peter Handel.

Older people will be involved in the project, which is run in conjunction with Robotdalen at Mälardalen University and the University of Gävle.

- If we reach as far as we’re going we might have a test group in a nursing home or similar in 2016, says Peter Handel.

In the future the technique could also be used in elite sport or the people who show symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Monitor firefighters

Technology has in a first project developed for the civil protection needs. Not for the study of foot movement, but to be able to monitor three-dimensional fighters during an operation where standard GPS technology does not work. The sensors and a small computer is placed in the heel of the shoe and a transmitter on the shoulder. In this way, the incident commander oversee every firefighter in eg smoke-filled rooms or inside a tunnel, or through radio steer them in a more efficient manner.

system is not fully developed, but testing done with firefighters in realistic exercises have shown promising results.