Smart Flooring to Reduce Fall Injuries in Older Adults

Smart Flooring for Fall Prevention

• 💡 Researchers at the University of Surrey are developing a smart flooring system to reduce injuries from falls in older adults.
• 🎯 The goal is to create a floor that feels firm for daily use but can cushion the impact of a fall.

How Smart Flooring Works

• 🧠 The system uses motion-tracking technology and adjustable floor panels to analyze balance and stability.
• 💬 It detects a person's presence, how they walk, and can trigger an emergency response if a fall is detected.
• 🛠️ Engineers are analyzing posture, step length, and overall stability to understand body interaction with the ground during a fall.

Balancing Firmness and Softness

• ⚖️ The floor needs to be soft enough to lower impact force but not so soft that it adversely affects balance and mobility.
• 🔬 The project is currently in the laboratory stage, focusing on healthy adults with a particular interest in those aged 65 and over.

Wider Impact and Statistics

• 🌍 Wider deployment requires industry partners to develop the experimental system into a product for care homes and hospitals.
• ⚠️ Globally, about one in three adults aged 65 and over suffers a fall each year, making falls the second leading cause of unintentional injury death.