Preventing Falls in Older Adults Using Floor Vibrations to Detect Falls and Gait Changes
Official title: Mitigating Injurious Falls in Older Adults Through Non-Injurious Fall and Gait Analysis From Floor Vibrations
Funded at Advanced Smart Systems/evaluation Techno · NIH-11420561 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new approach aims to detect falls and gait changes in people aged 65 and older by analyzing floor vibrations, with the goal of preventing injuries and reducing fall-related costs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Advanced Smart Systems/evaluation Techno NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2018 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,629,186 |
| NIH project number | 5R42AG059475-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11420561 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 65 years and older, including those with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, in community or care-facility settings.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals under 65 or those without mobility or cognitive concerns may not directly benefit from this technology.
What this research studies
This project looks at how floor vibrations can reveal when an older adult is at risk of falling, including those with dementia. It moves beyond wearable pendants by offering an automatic, patient-independent way to monitor gait and detect falls. The study will collect vibration data and develop analysis methods to identify dangerous gait patterns and early signs of instability. If successful, it could lead to real-time alerts and safer environments for seniors in homes and care facilities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this technology could help caregivers and facilities prevent falls and speed up assistance for at-risk seniors.
How similar studies have gone: Prior fall-detection systems rely on wearables; this project aims to improve detection using floor sensors, a novel approach with some prior related work.
Where this research is happening
-
Advanced Smart Systems/evaluation Techno
Columbia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fritz, Stacy Lynne — Advanced Smart Systems/evaluation Techno
- Study coordinator: Fritz, Stacy Lynne
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Preventing injurious falls in older adults using floor vibration and gait monitoring
A floor-mounted vibration system aims to detect falls and changes in walking in older adults, including people with dementia, so help can arrive faster and injuries can be reduced.
-
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This study is all about helping people who have had a stroke improve their balance and lower their chances of falling by trying out new training methods that focus on specific balance issues.
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Predicting falls in older adults using everyday walking patterns
This study is looking at how the way older adults walk can help us understand their risk of falling, using special devices to track their movements over a week, so we can find those who might need extra support to stay safe.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.