Restoring normal gait: a disruptive assistive technology

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Parkinsons disease is the second most common progressive disorder of the nervous system.Parkinsons disease symptoms include slowed movements with impaired posture andbalance, freezing of gait (defined as feet glued to the floor) and falls. Every yearapproximately 5,500 new cases are diagnosed in Canada, costing more than $30 billionannually to the Canadian healthcare system. The traditional dopamine therapy and otheralternative technologies (such as enhanced eye glasses or deep brain stimulation) have littleto no effect on improving the walking pattern of individuals with Parkinsons disease or areinvasive and expensive to administer. Therefore, there is a crucial need for noveltechnologies to improve gait pattern in individuals with Parkinsons disease. Building onrecent technological advancements of the team, an innovative technology is proposed toassist individuals with Parkinsons Disease to restore their ability to walk in environments theyfind to be challenging, thus improving their independence.