Lower Extremity Feedback System; In-Shoe Sensors; Incline & Step Counts

Today an inactive lifestyle is seen in children as well as adults. Lack of physical activity affects early onset diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. These illnesses have a negative effect on an individual�s quality-of-life and functional status. However, it is difficult to fix a problem that cannot be measured well. Current motion monitors for measuring physical activity are expensive ($400-500/each) and ill-suited to many forms of physical activity. Motion-monitors have to be fixed in an upright position at the waist. Often for people with larger waists, the monitor is pushed aside and does not effectively measure. Another challenge with a motion-monitor is that while it can measure activity in counts, it cannot measure incline related activity. This makes it difficult to accurately estimate the activity energy used in many activities such as jogging on an incline, or children climbing on a jungle gym. An inexpensive, foot-worn-monitor that includes incline in activity measurement provides improved assessment of physical activity. The disclosed device makes use of new sensor technology and is much less costly than other motion-monitors. This technology can provide a measure of overall activity, step counts, stride time, and incline

Benefits
The applications for this technology are broad and could be used by physicians, nurses, dieticians, physical therapists, teachers, sports enthusiasts, and all those interested in monitoring physical activity. For example it would allow runners to store their step count along with the incline of the path they run along.

Stage of Development
A provisional patent application has been filed. This technology is part of an active and ongoing research program and includes a bench prototype. The University of Utah is seeking partners for development final product. It is available for developmental research support/licensing under either exclusive or non-exclusive terms

Additional Info
http://www.mech.utah.edu/people/faculty/sbamberg.html

Inventor(s): Joseph Webster, Dante Bertelli, Randy Carson, Leland (Lee) Dibble, Stacy Morris Bamberg, Philip Dyer, Paul LaStayo

Type of Offer: Licensing



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