As
we get older a big worry we have is falling over. When we’re young we bounce
and a Bandaid and a hug is often sufficient to restore peace and harmony, but
as we get past our three score years and ten falling can be a lot more serious.
Our bones can get a lot more fragile and Hidalgo has set up a clinical trial to
see if stuffing us full of vitamin D and calcium will make falling about less
hazardous (1).
It
seems that the future is looking brighter. Albert and his colleagues from
Northwestern U have started to come up with an app for falling about (2). This
means that we can fall about in private and our actions will be noted. By whom
is not mentioned as this is a proof of principle and not a market opportunity
(yet).
The
idea is that our smartphones have accelerometers in them so that they know
which way is up, which is a very fine thing when we are looking at websites,
graphs etc. However, it is a relatively simple question to ask your smartphone
which way up are you. Of course, if you’ve slipped quietly under the table
through too much indulgence, you’re on your own.
If,
on the other hand you take a tumble through no fault of your own except Father
Time, your smartphone will know what you did – fall flat on your face, your
backside or your right or left side. It is smart enough to call out the
paramedics who will set you up to your neck in plaster provided that you have
downloaded the appropriate App.
Your
phone’s sensors gave excellent results with a group of 15 people who were asked
to fall about wearing accelerometers and Android phones. No-one was hurt, but
once the App is written, an ambulance can come charging to the rescue.
Now
this may seem like a problem if a large number of binge drinkers download the
app, but we should recall the stats. Half of the nursing home residents in the
US fall over in a year with most of them falling over multiple times. Hips get
fragile when you’re 75+ and hospitals are not your vacation choice. As a result
many lives are blighted by a fear of falling and the consequences so an App for
falling could be a winner.
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3267804/?tool=pubmed
- http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0036556
