Walker

This project was presented at the Dutch Design Week 2020.

Walking is the best activity to maintain mobility and overall health, therefore proper walking is important. For stroke patients walking can be a challenge due to physical and cognitive limitations. An inconsistent walking rhythm can be one of the problems stroke patients face. Improving the contancy of the walking rhythm benefits the walking speed, symmetry, safety and it makes the gait look more natural.

For motivation it is important to be involved in the rehabilitation and to get enough information, both about performance and results. This information stimulates an active role which is beneficial for efficient rehabilitation. It is also important to be independent. A system should be able to be manageable by the user itself without a lot of support from the outside. This is important for the users motivation and makes it cost efficient for the clinic.

Walker is a system, used outside of the clinical setting, that uses a shoe and walking aid accessory in combination with an app to measure the users walking gait and to give back variable-tempo rhythmic stimulation. People tend to synchronize to rhythms making it easier to walk with a consistent pace. The users own pace is measured and a suited rhythm is given back, to make the input personal and achievable. These input can either be given back through auditory cues, like tones and voice instructions, or tactile cues like vibrations. The measurements are also used to give insight in the walking gait over time, which is beneficial to monitor progress and the daily abilities outside the clinic.

The user interface of the app can be adapted to suit the cognitive level of the user. Therapist can shield functions to make the app more understandable and easy to use if needed.