Project Overview

Every day, millions of people rely on a rollator walker for support with independent mobility. A key feature of rollator walkers is the ability to lock the brakes in place for stability when standing or sitting (on the device). Current rollator walkers have a manual braking system that requires users to remember to engage the brake to prevent the device from rolling away and causing a fall. This dependence on memory to engage the brake creates a significant safety hazard for users, particularly for those with cognitive impairments (e.g. dementia). This project aims to reduce the risk of falling due to failing to manually engage the brakes on a rollator walker by developing an automatic braking system. The purpose of our research is to develop an automated braking system that is user-friendly and feasible for commercialization. Our method will include user and product testing that trials the device on a population with consideration of parameters such as diagnosis, physical status and cognitive ability. Automatic rollator walker brakes are currently not active in the market, despite millions of rollator walkers used daily. “A simple fall can set in motion a whole cascade of events that is detrimental to seniors and also to the health-care system” (LeClerc, 2017). Most rollator walker users are seniors. An estimated 1/3 of seniors fall at least once annually, with annual spending to treat falls among seniors estimated at $2 billion in Canada and $50 billion in the United States. Preventing falls eliminates injuries, hospitalizations, deconditioning due to prolonged recovery times, chronic pain, and deaths. Our device will facilitate a higher quality of life by facilitating user independence and safety, which promotes ongoing successful aging and improved general fitness. This can save millions of health-care dollars due to fall prevention and maintenance of overall health.