The project required me to design a gait stabilization device. These devices, typically identified as "walkers", provide support and stability during walking, support prior to sitting, and in some designs an option for short-term sitting. They have proven useful in facilitating movement while minimize falls and are now ubiquitous in elderly communities.
User Population
Tread Lightly is designed for the elderly population that suffer from gait dysfunction; more specifically, wobbling and balance issues.
It is designed for individuals that wish to remain physically active to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and improve psychological wellbeing.
The user group may vary in age demographics but they are healthy enough for exercise and would like to stay mobile despite their balance issues.
Behavioral Characteristics
The user is currently mobile with the assistance of a personal walker, but the walker fails to provide enough lateral stability and support to
prevent them from falling from time to time. The user suffers from wobbling and has problems during both static and dynamic balancing.
When the user loses their balance, it caused by "Base of Support falls" or "Centre of Mass falls".
The user is aware of their physical limitation and do not suffer from any mental disorders. This allows them to remain social with their peers and desire the company of others. This makes the maneuverability of a walker very important. Most users are not taking full steps or walking in a manner that would be considered normal gait. Shorter steps and sliding of the feet is common. This gait dysfunction leaves the user susceptible to increased risk of tripping or slips.
With limited range of motion and the desire for continued independence, users are often attempting tasks that may no longer be within their physical abilities. Reaching for difficult to reach objects by bending over or changing the equilibrium of the body can often result in a displacement of balance.
The current design of walkers for users suffering from balance related gait disorders, does not address the need for 180° support structures and creates an activity that promotes falling.
Traditional walkers use a frame that is placed in front of the user. Each time the user takes a step forward, a change in equilibrium is
made due to an extension of the arms and flexion in the lumbar that can easy set the user off balance and create wobbles. This balance issue is only
rectified once the user takes a second step forward to return to a normal prone position with full support of the walker under each shoulder.
The addition of wheels to the traditional walker design allowed for the user to more easily move forward with the mobility assistant but still provided
little support in the case of misplaced balance. The walker will only support the user if they are to fall forward.
The Tread Lightly walker provides the ease of motion functionality of a walker using wheels with a support structure that wraps beyond 180° around the user. The design keeps the user in an upright posture and simply glides along while the user walks.
Regardless of the walker's pace or gait disorder, the Tread Lightly walker is made from lightweight, durable, plastic with comfortable grips that give the user support in case of a forward or side-to-side fall.
The targeted user group of elderly individuals that suffer from gait dysfunction; more specifically, wobbling and balance issues, would adopt Tread Lightly because of it's support that extends beyond 180° around them, preventing falls. The added support gives the user an increased level of confidence about their mobility, which leads to increased physical activity and decreased cognitive decline.
Tread Lightly glides along as the user walks providing support and stability on multiple sides as well as keeping the user's trunk in an upright posture. This upright posture decreases changes in equilibrium during gait and reduces the risk of center mass falls. Playing on the design principle of "Contour Bias", Tread Lightly has smooth rounded curves and an organic shape. The soft lines and edges should put the user at easy that the product is less threatening than other walkers on the market.
