Smart Carpet: Detecting Falls And Predicting Mobility Problems

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM. A smart carpet that can detect falls and predict mobility problems. It can also detect if an unfamiliar feet walk over it. This magic carpet can easily provide medical assistance to elderly people who fall from their residential homes or nursing homes. It can also provide early warning of fire, chemical spillages or intruders in your house.

In the UK alone, falls serve as a major cause of injury and sometimes death among the people aged 65 and above. 50% of hospital admissions are accounted to accidental injuries caused by falling. Statistics show that around 14,000 die yearly after a fall. Also, an estimated £1.7 billion per year is being shouldered by the National Health Service in UK.

In addressing the increasing number of falls by the elderly, Dr. Patricia Scully and the researchers at the University of Manchester developed this smart carpet. A mesh of optical fibers are placed beneath the carpet. These fibers can detect and plot various movements as pressure bend them, changing the light detected at the edges of the carpet. The deflected light patterns aid the electronics to learn walking patterns of elderly people and detect if they are deteriorating.

The researchers carved grooves in the fibers along their length to make the bouncing of the light less efficient at the point where the pressure was being applied. The detectors at the edge of the carpet convert the light into electrical signals that are analyzed by the computer. The movement-plotting capability of the system was derived from the technology being used for hospital scanners.

Being able to identify changes in people’s walking patterns in corridors of nursing homes can certainly help in the early identification of problems. Prevention is still one of the best ways in the reduction of the demand for health and aged care services.