SBIR Phase I: Validation and optimization of balance and gait assessment technology in order to identify fall-risk in older adults

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is the ability to quickly and easily identify fall-risk in an aging population. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults, resulting in loss of independence and financial burden (predicted to exceed $54 and $101 billion in 2020 and 2030). There is a critical need for a diagnostic and prognostic tool that can be utilized in large cohorts in a cost-effective manner. Identifying fall risk before a fall occurs is critical for timely deployment of preventive measures, but also so that limited resources can be allocated to those who are most likely to experience a fall. This, in turn, will ultimately reduce the number of falls, prolong independent living for the elderly population, and reduce healthcare costs. Following completion of the project, the device will be a commercially viable product which will lead to the growth and expansion of a start-up company. The proposed project will optimize and demonstrate the technical feasibility of an innovative balance and gait assessment device that provides a measure of fall-risk. Primary care physicians report that they do not have the knowledge and time to complete fall-risk assessments. Thus, this project will optimize and validate a fall-risk assessment device that can be easily implemented in multiple settings, including retirement communities, health clinics, and physician offices. The first objective of this project is to optimize and validate the balance assessment capabilities of the device, as the gait assessment capabilities have already been validated. The device will be compared concurrently with a device commonly used in research labs. The second objective is to validate the device with balance-compromised populations; as in the first objective, the device will be compared concurrently with a device commonly used in research labs. The third objective is to establish that the device provides a biomarker for age and disease by demonstrating that the balance and/or gait parameters are different across three groups (young adults, older adults, and people with Parkinson's disease).