Treating mobility disorders the AI way

The simple act of taking a step involves 200 muscles functioning in a coordinated motion Students might groan upon hearing yet another complex factoid during their Biology lecture Rahi Shah and Hriday Boriawala are different Their latest invention is built around this unique factThe two 17year old students of RN Podar International School in Santacruz are inventors of Walkfit that uses pressure sensors to monitor movement pressure and balance The idea Shah reveals was born through a familial bond ldquoBoth of our grandparents underwent operations for mobility a couple of years ago My grandmother had a hip replacement while Hridayrsquos grandmother had a knee replacementrdquo she shares During the recovery period the teens observed that the senior citizens often found it difficult to express their issues or experiencesGyro sensors measure direction of tiltldquoMany older people cannot express what they experience and sometimes wonrsquot even speak up about itrdquo Shah observes ldquoThis makes it difficult for doctors or even loved ones to truly diagnose the efficacy of treatment We do not find out till the problem is unavoidablerdquo As always the kids turned to technology for ideas The duo are also students at the Omotec centre in Vile Parle where they are familiarising themselves with coding and roboticsA closeup shot of pressure sensors on the handleIt is at the Vile Parle centre that we catch up with the duo along with Boriawalarsquos grandparents who kindly joined us for a demonstration Boriawala remarks ldquoI was already learning coding and machine learning at the centre and I am also interested in electronic engineeringrdquo The two interests plus a desire to help their grandparents gave them the idea of a monitoring deviceTesting the equipmentAt first glance the walkfit appears to be a simple walking support stick with its fourprong grip Look closely and the wires running down the handle come into view ldquoThe prototype is the circuitry not the stickrdquo he points out ldquoWe wanted to create something small that could be easily adapted onto any walking stick It is feasible and economicalrdquo Shah adds It took the duo two years to create a working modelRahi Shah and Hriday Boriawala working on their inventionAs they hand over the stick to Boriawalarsquos 80yearold grandfather Gajendra Boriawala we are able to observe it in operation The stick is armed with two pressure sensors on the handle and four on the bottom grip mdash one on each leg In addition to this it holds a module with gyro sensors towards the bottom ldquoThese help to corelate pressure readings with angle of tilt to predict the chances of a fallrdquo Shah explains The data derived from these sensors is relayed via Bluetooth to their laptop where it is displayed on a pressure heatmap along with projected readingsThe live relay of the data is analysed by a machine learning module and an algorithm coded using Python programming to derive projected analysis ldquoMachine learning is a neural network that derives values based on the parameters you set and projects possible progressionsrdquo explains BoriawalaShah reveals ldquoNeither of us are medical experts So we showed the videos data readings and analysis predicted to a qualified medical professional Dr Anokhi Shah MD and also tested over 50 patients in several oldage homes across Vile Parle They helped us figure out how to read this information For instance if point A is where the pressure reading is then X is a possible diagnosisrdquoA heatmap depicts the pressure pointsWe watch the colour changes on the pressure map on the laptop with every step Boriawala elaborates that the Force Sensitive Resistors FSR on the handle and foot of the stick measure the pressure applied by the holder and its weight bearing ldquoFor instance we learned from the doctors that if the patient has a hip problem they are bound to lean to the front Similarly if the pressure on the front two prongs is beyond a defined value then there could be an issue with their lower backrdquo he explainsPotential benefitsThis opens up immense possibilities across the board ldquoThe data will help medical professionals understand the nature of the problem and even facilitate early diagnosis of motor disabilities They will also be able to monitor daytoday changes and be proactive in their treatment plans with accurate informationrdquo Shah points outWhile they have been working on the invention with financial support from their families they already are catching the eye of experts The duo showcased it at the IIT Tech Fest and the World Stem and Robotics Olympiad WSRO in 2023 Armed with AI and Machine Learning these young geniuses are already planning big ldquoWe hope to keep working on this and develop it into an app Maybe the information could be sent to family or caregivers and alert them in case of emergencies or help them monitor progress even when they are away from the patientsrdquo the Vile Parlebased Boriawala remarks Ask them if they are apprehensive of AI stepping into everything and the quick answer is no ldquoWe understand the apprehension but technology is a tool and needs to be used for the goodrdquo Shah remarks as we wrap up another walkWhat is itThe walking stick is equipped with pressure and gyro sensors to track a patientrsquos challenges in mobility direction of tilting and pressure pointsHow it worksThe sensors monitor the pressure and direction during every movement The gyro sensors track the degree of tilt to predict the possibility of a fallWho it affectsbenefitsWho is it for The technology can enable a detailed diagnosis of mobility issues using a heat map and pressure It can also be developed into an emergency alert mechanism to help senior citizens