A Preliminary Strategy for Fall Prevention in the ASBGo Smart Walker

Abstract

Fall-related injuries affect a large part of the population and related costs. Thus, there is a concern in studying a fall prevention strategy to minimize the consequences of falls. Walkers are assistive devices used to improve the balance, stability and reduce the load on the lower limb of the user. In this sense, there is a concern to improve the safety in smart walkers and, consequently, to prevent falls in these devices. However, in this field, the only approach is to stop the walker in risk situations. So, the aim of this paper is to define a preliminary strategy to prevent a fall event in the Adaptive System Behaviour Group (ASBGo) Smart Walker. For ASBGo Smart Walker, two modes of security are discussed in this paper. One approach is based on monitoring the center of mass and changing the trajectory when a near fall is detected. The other mechanism consists only in to stop the walker when a dangerous situation is detected. The first or the second mode are activated depending if the user drives the walker with the forearm on forearm support or not.