New robotic 'exoskeleton' prevents elderly fallsMay 12, 2017 - 11:00 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Scientists unveiled a lightweight, robotic, outer "skeleton" Thursday, May 11 that can detect when someone loses their balance, correct their gait, and prevent their fall, AFP reports. Designed to limit stumbles among the elderly, the device has sensors that can discern in real time when a limb starts to buckle or flail, and lightweight motors which exert instant force on both legs to restore balance. "Wearable machines that enhance your movement and endurance no longer belong to the realm of science fiction," the device's creators said in a statement. According to the World Health Organization, falls are the second cause of death from accidental or unintentional injuries worldwide. Every year, more than 420,000 people die from falls -- most of those are older than 65. Nearly 40 million falls that require medical attention are reported annually, says the WHO, and this number is likely to skyrocket as people live to become ever older. Dubbed the Active Pelvis Orthosis or APO, the new device could also help disabled people and amputees, said its designers from the Scuola Sant'Anna, an Italian University, and Switzerland's EPFL polytechnical school. "It's technology that will actually help people with their daily activities," they added. The team published the results of their lab experiments in the journal Nature Scientific Reports. The "exoskeleton" is worn from the waist down, its creators explained, "and is vastly different from the armoured stuff you see in today's science fiction movies". Photo. AFP Related links: Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. |