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fall-safe
PROPER GAIT
Stony Brook University
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Fall 2015
Myself along with seven other biomedical engineers were tasked to improve on the current method of fall detection systems.
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Ongoing challenges surrounding this issue include sustained tracking and the inevitable occurrence of false positives and false negatives due to the ambiguous distinction between a damaging fall and other rapid movements.
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Designing the main detection unit to be worn at all times without any discomfort, even during showers, was pivotal towards maximizing the safety of the user.
Materials:
Polycarbonate encasing
Internal rubber seal
Polyester threaded strap-
coated with silicone
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Main unit:
Tri-axial accelerometer
Wireless receiver
Processing unit
Power source
Vibration motor
Cellular connection
In order to tackle the common problem of faulty detection, we included a pressure-sensitive insole unit in order to collect more data
Materials:
Silicone rubber
KE-5560U, vibration absorption
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Main unit:
Wireless transmitter
Pressure-sensitive pads
Power source
After this project, 'Fall-Safe', was chosen by the course department to undergo further development, and I was appointed as the team's
Lead Designer and decided to forego our initial strategy.
I looked to approach this concern with a preventative approach rather than one solely of detection; to work towards the alleviation of symptoms leading to the fall rather than dealing with the matter after the injury had already transpired.
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Those most commonly susceptible to detrimental falls include patients victim to stroke, muscle deterioration, and peripheral neuropathy.
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Consequently, this new project had been named 'ProperGait' and the same data gathered from the proposed tools would be put towards developing a therapeutic plan.
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The insoles could create a map of the user's pressure distribution with each step, allowing professionals to target and diagnose areas of abnormality. Moreover, micro-vibrations embedded within these insoles could also potentially guide patients towards a proper gait pattern.
Our team was invited to the Chinese University of Hong Kong and placed as finalists at the Engineering Medical Innovation Global Competition
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