SmartCane Helps Prevent Senseless Falls

March 21, 2008

More than 4 million people in the U.S. use canes. And although the staff is meant to help, sometimes it does more harm than good. People use canes improperly, experience repetitive stress injuries, or rely on the device in the presence of obstacles, which can lead to a bad fall.

Now researchers have developed an electronic cane that is embedded with sensors, a computer, and wireless networking technology. The SmartCane can, among other things, detect usage patterns, predicts outcomes, such as a fall, and inform the patient or caregiver about how the device is being used in the first place--which can improve safety and performance.

The technology comes out of the University of California, Los Angeles and was recently presented at the BodyNets 2008 conference.

Comments

[James]

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