Engineering news
The technique, developed by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, uses the radar to acquire real-time, high-resolution reading of a person’s walking pattern.
“Our method is both precise and easy to use. It can help healthcare staff to carry out a more reliable risk analysis and tailor interventions to achieve a significant effect early on. Hopefully it can help to solve a growing challenge for society,” said Xuezhi Zeng, researcher in biomedical electromagnetics at Chalmers.
Fall accidents and cognitive illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease are increasing as populations get older. In Sweden, about 100,000 people aged 65 or over seek medical care each year following bad falls, with 70,000 of them needing to be admitted to hospital. Approximately 1,000 older people die each year due to fall accidents. In the US, it is estimated that 3m elderly people seek care in an emergency department due to fall accidents each year.
Preventative measures can reduce both suffering and costs, the researchers said. Their small sensor can be attached to furniture, walls and ceilings, analysing people’s walking pattern with a particular focus on the time required to take a step.
“It is the variation in step times that is the key. A healthy person normally has a regular gait, but a person at risk of fall accidents often has a large variation in step times. For example, the first step may take a second, whereas the second may take two seconds,” said Zeng.
The device containing the sensor is no larger than a fire alarm, and could be used within the healthcare system, in the home or in care homes. Preventative measures such as physiotherapy, tailored training or a change of furniture can be implemented to prevent fall accidents, helping avoid suffering and hospital care.
Apart from reportedly being easy to use, the method collects data without filming.
“This means that it can be used without invading people’s privacy and integrity, and without the feeling of monitoring that something such as a camera would give,” said Zeng.
With cognitive illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, an increase in step time variability is often an early symptom. Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common causes of dementia in the world, and is difficult to detect at an early stage. The new method could be helpful for making early diagnoses.
The technique is based on an off-the-shelf radar sensor, so the researchers hope commercial development could be feasible in the near future. In the short term, Zeng hopes it could be used by older people at home, providing healthcare staff with objective and valuable data to support decisions. In future, she hopes the method could facilitate clinical research and establish more connections between a change in gait and the development of other illnesses.
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.