Student: Jose Luis Rivera
Project Mentors: Dr. Wenlong Zhang – The Polytechnic School & SBHSE
Dr. Edward Ofori – ASU College of Health Solutions
Dr. Thurmon E. Lockhart – SBHSE
YouTube Link: View the video link below before joining the zoom meeting
Zoom Link: https://asu.zoom.us/j/95360348189
Zoom meeting time: 9am - 11am
Abstract
Unintentional falls pose a great risk on older adults; according to the Arizona Department of Health (ADHS), falls were the leading cause of injury-related deaths among Arizona residents 65+ years. In 2018, the ADHS reported 976 fatal falls to older adults, where 54% of these falls occurred at home, totaling at an economic burden that exceeds $1.5 billion. These charges do not describe costs associated with physician care, EMS services, rehabilitation, or long-term disability, so they may be much higher [1]. As a result, research in fall prediction, prevention, and mediation has been performed, with experiments being in a lab setting due to the limitations of the devices used (force plates, motion capture systems, EMG, and IMU) [2,3]. The research team, composed of a collaborative work between the Robotics and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (RISE Lab) and the Automation Design Advancing People and Technology Laboratory (ADAPT Lab) supported by the Center for Innovation in Healthy and Resilient Aging (CIHRA), wants to take these experiments to a more “home-setting”, since many of these falls occur in the natural environment of the individual, through the use of the RISE Lab’s Smart Shoes. A pair of the Smart Shoes measures the ground reaction forces (GRFs) under the heel, the first and fourth metatarsophalangeal, and the toe. Silicone tubes are wound into air pockets and are connected to barometric pressure sensors to measure pressure changes caused by the compression as one walks. Eight healthy participants were recruited for this study and subject to the experimental protocol. Data was collected in a lab setting, using the Smart Shoes, treadmill, and cognitive assessment surveys, and at the participant’s home while wearing the Smart Shoes to replicate an ordinary day. The goals of this research project is to determine if there is a significant difference between lab data and field data in order to see if the metric and research done prior can be applicable to a home setting, and to identify factors that contribute to falls in the home/community setting. This will be done through analysis of spatial temporal metrics derived from their gait cycles and statistically analyzed for any difference.