Preventing injurious falls in older adults using floor vibration and gait monitoring
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-11185349 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,150,314 |
| NIH project number | 2R42AG059475-04A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11185349 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults aged 65 and older, especially residents of care facilities or people living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not live or spend time in buildings where the floor sensors are installed, or younger adults without fall risk, would not benefit from this system.
What this research studies
If I take part, sensors placed under building floors will pick up vibrations from footsteps and falls and software will analyze those patterns to spot non-injurious falls and changes in gait. The system is designed to work without a wearable pendant so it can protect people who forget or refuse to wear devices, such as those with Alzheimer’s or related dementias. Study staff will compare vibration signals with other measures like accelerometers and clinical observations to improve the detection algorithms. The work focuses on installing and testing the technology in care facilities and community settings to enable automatic, patient-independent monitoring.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide automatic, non-wearable fall detection and early warning of walking problems so people get faster help and care facilities can reduce injury costs.
How similar studies have gone: Wearable pendant alarms and accelerometer-based detectors have shown limited real-world use, and floor-vibration monitoring is a newer approach with some promising pilot data but not yet widely proven.
Where this research is happening
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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.
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Preventing Falls in Older Adults Using Floor Vibrations to Detect Falls and Gait Changes
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.
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Wearable movement monitoring to spot fall risk in older adults
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Predicting Fall Risk for People Using Lower-Limb Prostheses
This project aims to find better ways to predict who might fall among people who use lower-limb prostheses by studying their walking patterns.
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Training to improve balance and reduce falls in people after a stroke
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.