The Sensoria smart socks have sensors and flexible conductors designed to help runners analyze their gait and avoid injuries. The company recently announced a partnership with Orthotics Holdings, Inc. (OHI) to create a new product, the Smart Moore Balance Brace. The collaboration will bring Sensoria’s wireless connectivity technology to the brace device that reduces the risk of falls by the elderly. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 14 million adults aged 65 or older suffer from a fall each year.
The partnership embed Sensoria‘s flexible textile sensors and Bluetooth communications so that the brace can collect and relay data about the wearer’s activity level, walking cadence, gait speed, and other measures. The data is forwarded to an app running on a smartphone or tablet, at which point it can be uploaded for storage, analysis, and reporting. This information will make it possible for physicians to monitor patients for the correct use of the brace, as well as received data about the possibility of increased risk of a fall.
The new device is undergoing market studies, with the goal of releasing a commercial product in 2016. This product is an excellent example of how wearable technology created for the fitness market can rapidly be repurposed for health and medical applications that can improve the lives of patients and reduce healthcare costs.
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