FOG is characterized by varying combinations of \u2018hesitations\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- start hesitation, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- hesitation while walking through narrow spaces, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- hesitation at the time of turning, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- stop hesitation, and <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- hesitation at any point while walking. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These often result in falls. Parkinson\u2019s patients suffering from FOG become dependent on caregivers for community ambulation. Their independent community living and overall quality of life is adversely affected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The technology-assisted solutions available are of limited help because of two main issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) The use of an accelerometer or gyro-based wearable sensors for prediction of FOG are noise prone, and <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) They deliver external cues without any individualization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These solutions are not effective treatments. They are marred by anomalies that make them less effective or unusable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the Possible Solution?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team of researchers at IIT Gandhinagar developed a low-cost device that can be attached to a walking stick to solve the problem of FOG. The team comprised Megh Patel, Gottumukala Sai Rama Krishna, Abhijit Das, and Uttama Lahiri. The technology is granted a patent by2z<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The device can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) Predict freezing of gait, and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) Deliver visual, auditory, and\/or vibratory cues in an individualized manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Smart Walking Aid System fits as an add-on module on a readily available walking stick. It triggers peripheral modules wirelessly to deliver visual, auditory, and\/or vibratory cues in an integrated, assist-as-needed, and individualized manner. The system does not use any wearable sensors to sense the gait abnormalities of the patient. Instead, it intelligently monitors the movement of the walking stick to predict the possible freezing of gait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Does the Smart Walking Aid System Look Like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The image below shows the assembled system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Figure 1:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smart Aid Walking System Setup<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Note: The Smart Walking Aid System comprises of Master Controller Module (MCM) attached to an ordinary walking stick and Vibratory Belt Assembly (VBA) to be worn on calf muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Master Controller Module (MCM)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
MCM is mounted on an ordinary walking stick at a set height from the bottom tip of the stick. It is a micro-controller-based unit that operates by a 5 V regulated supply. It receives pulses from two Proximity Sensors (US1 and US2). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US1 is mounted at the bottom of the MCM. It senses the distance of the stick tip from the ground surface. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US2 is mounted at the stick tip. It senses the user\u2019s foot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
MCM triggers three peripheral devices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) Laser Line Generators deliver visual cues. They project two parallel red-colored laser lines on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) Piezoelectric Buzzer delivers an auditory cue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3) Vibratory Belt assembly delivers vibratory cues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Vibratory Belt Assembly (VBA)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
VBA is a microcontroller-based unit that houses a vibrator unit with Bluetooth connectivity. It is wrapped around the calf muscle. The Bluetooth receiver attached to VBA communicates wirelessly with the Bluetooth transmitter of MCM to trigger vibratory cues based on assist-as-needed.
How Does the System Work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nParkinson\u2019s patients with FOG take small steps while walking. They also often experience hand freeze that alters hand movements while walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Smart Walking Aid System computes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) The time interval between two consecutive contacts of the stick tip with the floor surface<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) The maximum height (from the floor surface) of the envelope of the profile of the stick tip between two consecutive contacts with the floor surface in real-time, while the user is asked to walk while holding the walking stick in real-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based on these two measures, the Smart Walking Aid System calculates the threshold time interval and height and generates a combination of visual, auditory, and vibratory cues in an individualized manner. In addition, the system also addresses \u2018start hesitation\u2019 by triggering all three cues for the first \u201cn\u201d number of steps in an individualized manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How will the System Change a Patient\u2019s Life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The experiment to test the device with one Parkinson\u2019s patient produced positive results. The device is a game-changer in three areas of a patient\u2019s life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Reduction of freeze counts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The number of freezing counts gradually reduced. When all three cues were applied simultaneously, freezing was not detected. The experiment concluded that vibratory cues delivered in an individualized manner along with visual and auditory cues contributed to a complete reduction of freezing. It was the case in spite of the start hesitation, the hesitation for moving through narrow spaces, and the hesitation while turning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Increase in average step length<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
A PD patient usually suffers from an inability to regulate step length causing them to take small steps. The device helped them gradually increase their step lengths comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Increase in walking speed<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The patient\u2019s walking speed increased considerably due to stable steps, increased step length, and reduced freeze counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can the Product be Expected in the Market Soon?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too soon to comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though the results of the study were promising, it suffered certain limitations. One of them was the small sample size. The other limitation was the restricted study environment\u2013the study was carried out indoors. The use of red-colored laser lines as a visual cue and the intensity of the audio tone used can be restrictive for the outdoor study environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The future seems bright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan is to conduct a randomized and controlled study with a larger number of participants for a longer duration. The system will also be tested outdoors where red-colored laser lines can be replaced with different-colored lines, and the intensity of the audio will be tuned to be audible in noisy places\u2013as specified by the user. The larger plan is to deliver the audio cue using a headset.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One percent of the global population over the age of 60 years suffers from Parkinson\u2019s Disease (PD). The number is a whopping 10 million people worldwide. Parkinson\u2019s symptoms and treatments cover a broad spectrum based on the severity of the illness. One of the hallmark symptoms experienced by Parkinson\u2019s patients is \u2018gait abnormality\u2019. The cause […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25,"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7\/revisions\/25"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.iitgn.ac.in\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Increase in walking speed<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Increase in average step length<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Reduction of freeze counts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Vibratory Belt Assembly (VBA)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Master Controller Module (MCM)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n