Participants:
Building on an existing prototype, the project focuses on developing an enhanced version of an award-winning mobile cable robot for fall prevention. The solution is expected to contribute to reducing the 90,000 fall-related injuries occurring annually in Switzerland.
Research Partner :
Data Analytics & Rehabilitation Technology (DART)
Lake Lucerne Institute
DART has a mission to develop, validate, and implement technologies for health around major health care system topics, such as fall risk. The interdisciplinary team combines backgrounds in mechatronics, robotics, software engineering, data science, neuroscience, design, and health care. With this perspective, the lab has performed foundational work on perturbation protocols for fall risk reduction and developed a first prototype of the fall-stopper. Using our motion-capture platforms, we also evaluate biomechanical perturbation responses, central sensory-motor integration, and develop biomarkers for walking stability and fall risk, both in the lab and the real world.
Bio-Inspired RObots for MEDicine-Laboratory (BIROMED-Lab)
University of Basel
The BIROMED-Lab develops bio-inspired robotic and mechatronic systems for medical applications. Our portfolio includes knowledge in mechatronics, mechanical design, micro machining, (cable) robotics, control, and real-time data processing.
Implementation partner:
The Swiss Falls Center is breaking new ground in fall prevention. Fear of falling can lead to mobility restrictions in old age. But this doesn’t have to be the case. By offering perturbation-based balance training (PBT) and other interventions to a broad community, the Swiss Falls Center has extensive experience with the needs of the elderly population for community-based fall prevention approaches. This knowledge, in combination with emerging lightweight technologies, provides an excellent opportunity for testing the Fall Stopper in real world use.
