Research Interest Group Chair, Ken Bowler, gave a demonstration of “Path Finder” at the Branch meeting on 10th January 2018. Developed by a tech start-up company, Walk With Path Ltd., Path Finder is designed to trigger walking and alleviate Freezing of Gait (FoG) in People with Parkinson’s (PwP’s).
The device consists of a pair of lasers, one for each foot, attached to a rubber gaiter which enables them to be mounted on the front of a pair of shoes. Powered by lithium-ion batteries, the lasers can be adjusted to project a horizontal straight line on the floor in front of the walker, at right angles to the direction of travel. The projected lines provide visual cues which the wearer steps over to initiate and sustain walking.For more information visit the website http://www.walkwithpath.com.
Also see the East Midlands RSN group blog https://eastmidlands-rsn.org/welcome/
In particular the article by Lionel Paulo entitled
Path Finder: the Laser Guidance for Humans
https://eastmidlands-rsn.org/2017/10/05/path-finderthe-laser-guidance-for-humans/ is highly recommended as an amusing and informative account of using Path Finder.
