Development of A Walker for Fall Prevention

Abstract

This study explores the design and development of a simple, easily deployable walker aimed at preventing falls among adults and the elderly. They face challenges in regaining their ability to walk after experiencing a traumatic illness, an accident, a prolonged period of sickness, or simply being old and weak. This situation can create a vicious cycle: as their fear of falling increases and their physical activity decreases, they suffer an even greater loss of walking ability. Consequently, their quality of life worsens. The design is intended to support a body weight of 120 kg. In principle, the walker can support an adult without tipping over as long as the body's center of mass remains within the base of support. The walker has been designed, and its structural strength is simulated in SolidWorks. A customized inertial-measurement-unit (IMU) system is intended to be worn by the adult for the purposes of detecting falls, alerting users, and data acquisition. This paper demonstrates the design principles and procedure for a walker for fall prevention. The results indicated that the design could be revised repeatedly to meet the specified targets, and the trials confirmed the expected outcomes. Future enhancements could include additional straps to secure the body to the walker during a fall and the integration of IoT technology for remote alerts.