Smart clothes to prevent the fall of older people

The first tests will be done in the second half of 2017

  The Institute of Biomechanics (IBV) and the Textile Technological Institute (AITEX) have come together to develop the INSTINTO research project that aims to carry out a system based on integrated textile sensors that together with an ICT platform serve to prevent, monitor and protect older people from falls.

Researchers have developed different prototypes to obtain the prevention, detection and fall protection system for elderly people. This system will be composed of a device integrated in textiles for the acquisition of biomechanical signals, communication software with the web platform and the page that allows access to information, both by the user and by clinical professionals.

  The system designed by INSTINTO, will be integrated into textile elements, such as shirts, pants, belts, etc. to measure the biomechanical variables of the elderly person and be able to detect if a scenario or situation that could imply a greater risk of falling occurs.

During 2016, the IBV has identified these scenarios, as well as the main biomechanical variables that can predict the risk of falls in older people and what type of sensors are the most suitable to carry out a reliable measurement.

In addition, tests have been carried out with people over 57 years of age to determine a series of measures that assume the normality bands of each variable and to debug the detection and fall prevention algorithms.

For its part, AITEX has focused its efforts on carrying out the design and development of different smart textiles prototypes through the integration of sensors and actuators, capable of measuring these variables and minimizing injuries in the event of a fall.

Based on the results obtained in the first year of the project, in 2017, the final version of the prevention, detection and protection system for falls in elderly people will be worked on, as well as the debugging of the calculation algorithms and the complete validation of the system.