There are a number of people that would benefit from a smart garment that accurately tracks activity and accelerates their rehab process. No matter how slow they walk. This is why we created Sensoria Walk.
Unlike wrist worn accelerometer equipped devices Sensoria Walk can track activity of people suffering from Gait impairments, short stride length, slow walking speed and even people that use a cane, a walker or wearing a prosthesis.
The app works in conjunction with our electronic anklet, and textile sensor infused smart socks to help its wearer set goals, track daily activity including steps, cadence and distance during rehabilitation after a stroke or post-surgery—with the ultimate goal of speeding up overall recovery time.
Here’s what David G. Armstrong, DPM, MD, PhD; Professor of Surgery and Director, University of Arizona College of Medicine has to say: “For people going through rehab or those suffering from movement limitations, Sensoria smart socks is a major step toward the answer. You can now work with your patient to set goals in terms of time, steps or distance and they will be ready to go. This is true for "prehabilitation" before surgery or for postoperative care. This appears to be true if they use a walker, have a short stride or walk very slowly. These devices, leveraged with other wearables, allow us to get closer to dosing activity as accurately and effectively as we might have once dosed a drug.”
Sensoria Walk may help monitor activity in patients suffering from neurological diseases, as well. As an example, studies of Parkinson’s disease show that physical activity benefits patients’ balance, gait and motor condition. Every year, 50,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurological disorder that causes tremors, slurred speech and limited mobility. A University of Washington (UW) Medicine researcher outfitted 30 Parkinson’s patients with wearable technologies – Fitbit's trackers and Sensoria’s smart socks – to gather data about activity levels and the disease’s progression.
According to UW Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine, “In the past, people have used diaries to track activity, and people tend to overestimate their physical activity,” said Dr. Sujata Pradhan, who is leading the study. More exact information, she hopes, will enable earlier discovery and treatment of Parkinson’s symptoms. Pradhan thinks the sensors will pick up subtle changes in patients’ gait not evident to the human eye – data that could help her create assessments that identify disease symptoms at an earlier stage. “People are usually referred for rehabilitation only when they have difficulty maintaining their balance or start falling,” Pradhan said. “Usually overt clinical deficits in balance and walking appear later in disease progression. If we bring more awareness to these subtle early symptoms, people will start referring to physical therapy earlier.”
We are looking for a few forward looking physiotherapists and podiatrists that would like to leverage our system to conduct additional research with us.
“Sensoria opens the pathway for advancement in numerous clinical fields, such as rehabilitation medicine, fall prevention in geriatrics, and precision therapy for neurologic conditions like Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis.“ said Dr. Justin Schram, MD, MSc. who serves on Sensoria’s Board of Advisors.
Sensoria Walk is now available for download on the App Store. For more information, visit www.sensoriafitness.com/walk.
I look forward to hearing your feedback!
Best,
Davide Vigano