Smart Flooring Technology

Falls in the elderly population are a significant problem worldwide. According to World Health Organization (WHO), falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury deaths worldwide, an estimated 646,000 falls each year. In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that around one in four older adults (aged 65 and older) will fall each year. Of those falls, around 20% will result in a serious injury such as a head injury or fracture.

These injuries can have a significant impact on the quality of life of older adults, leading to disability, loss of independence, and reduced mobility. Furthermore, falls can result in a fear of falling, which can lead to a decrease in physical activity and further increase the risk of falls.

The scale of the problem is significant and growing as the global population ages. In the United States, for instance, falls are responsible for more than 800,000 hospitalizations and 27,000 deaths annually among older adults. The economic burden of falls is also substantial, with estimates suggesting that falls cost the US healthcare system over $50 billion annually.

Falls in the elderly population can threaten independent living. This often results in hospitalization, surgery and rehabilitation. They may also need assistance with daily activities such as dressing, bathing, and getting around, which can be a blow to their sense of independence. This may also lead to social isolation, depression, and other negative health outcomes.

Develop Smart Flooring Technology that consist of a hardware (smart floor) and a software that analyzes the data collected by the embedded sensors in the hardware, to detect abnormalities, and alert healthcare professionals if necessary. 

Developing this technology will require us to design the smart floors, select appropriate sensors that are accurate, reliable, and able to transmit data wirelessly to a central monitoring system. We aim to design the smart floors in a modular fashion that can be easily installed in different environments, such as hospitals, nursing homes, long term care facilities, and private homes.

The smart floor embedded sensors can detect changes in gait, balance, and weight distribution, which can be used to predict and prevent falls. The sensors will also be able to monitor vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation), EKG (electrocardiography) monitoring and analyze any potential arrhythmia's (irregular heart rhythm's).

The software developed will be utilizing machine learning techniques such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and deep learning, to develop algorithms that can detect changes in gait, balance, weight distribution, vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation). These algorithms can be used to predict the likelihood of a fall occurring as well as detect abnormal vital signs. This software will be integrated with the smart flooring technology to enable real-time monitoring and analysis of the data. The software will be designed to trigger an alert system when any abnormal vitals signs or fall risks are detected. The alert system can be sent to a caregiver or healthcare professional, and activate EMS services.

Smart flooring technology has the potential to greatly benefit the elderly population. The target market for this technology would be seniors who live independently, but may require assistance with mobility, balance, or fall prevention.

This population may include individuals who have recently undergone surgery or experienced a medical event that has affected their mobility. It may also include seniors who have history of falls or near falls, or those with conditions such as arthritis or Parkinson's disease that affect their balance and coordination.

In addition, the target market for smart flooring technology may include adults who want to remain active and independent for as long as possible, and are interested in technology that can help them do so safely and comfortably.

Overall, the target market for smart flooring technology is seniors who want to maintain independence and quality of life, while reducing the risk of falls and injuries. This technology will enable early detection of health issues, improve patient outcomes, and potentially save lives.

Smart flooring technology can potentially benefit people people belonging to all indigenous communities residing anywhere in the world. One of the primary benefits is that it can help prevent falls, which is especially important for older adults who may have limited access to healthcare resources or who live in remote areas where medical assistance may not be readily available.

Indigenous communities often have unique challenges related to healthcare and aging, including limited access to specialized medical care, higher rates of chronic conditions, and higher risk of fall due to environmental factors such as uneven terrain. Smart flooring technology can help address some of these challenges by providing a continuous monitoring system that can alert caregivers or family members if a fall or other safety issue occurs. As we develop this technology we will plan on to consult with the community leaders/elders to ensure that their perspectives are taken into account and that the technology is culturally appropriate and meets the needs of the community.

In addition, smart flooring technology can also provide valuable data on an individuals daily activity patterns, which can be used to identify changes in mobility or behavior that may indicate a health issue or potential fall risk. This information can be particularly useful in remote or underserved areas where access to healthcare professionals may be limited. We will plan on partnering with indigenous organizations to ensure that the technology is developed in a way that is culturally sensitive and meets the needs of the community.

Overall, smart flooring technology can help improve the safety and well being of older adults in indigenous communities by providing a reliable and non-intrusive monitoring system that can alert caregivers or family members to potential safety concerns, and providing valuable data on an individuals daily activity patters that can be used to identify health issues.

We are passionate about using technology to improve the lives of elderly population, and believe that smart flooring technology has the potential to make a significant impact on the lives of our target population. 

Our team has a unique and motivated team lead who lives by the mission of whoever saves one life is as if the whole humanity has been saved. Here we have a project that has the potential to impact millions of lives. Developing smart flooring technology will help with early detection of health issues, improve patient outcomes, and potentially save many lives by accurately and reliably predicting and analyzing falls. 

We will have a unique combination of expertise in both healthcare and technology. We have initiated discussions with a team of engineers who specialize in developing cutting edge technology, as well as having team members with extensive experience in working with elderly populations. This combination of expertise will allow us to develop technology that is both innovative and practical, with a focus on addressing real world healthcare challenges.

We will be engaging with all stakeholders throughout the process. We understand that it is essential to involve end users in the development process to ensure that technology meets their needs and is culturally appropriate. We are committed to developing a solution that is not only effective but also affordable and accessible to all. We are optimistic about the potential impact of this technology and are committed to making it a reality.

We hope to connect with a large network of researchers and experts through the platform of SOLVE. By partnering with these experts we can collaborate to develop a more comprehensive and effective solution that will potentially save millions of lives.

Team lead has vast inpatient hospital experience since 2013 in United States and understands the target population and their needs. This project aims to allow elderly population to live an independent lives and our tiny contribution to make them feel confident in their homes, nursing homes and long term care facilities.

Smart flooring technology is relatively new and innovative solution that can provide a wide range of benefits in various settings, such as homes, nursing homes, hospitals, healthcare settings, long term care facilities. The technology involves integrating sensors, wireless communication, and data analytics into flooring systems to enable real time monitoring and analysis of various health and mobility related parameters. Our solution has the potential to impact millions of lives bringing about positive changes in health outcomes.

Over the next year we will aim to achieve the following impact goals:

1. Develop and deploy smart flooring technology prototype in at least one pilot healthcare facility. 

2. Establish partnerships with at least three healthcare organizations to promote the use of smart flooring technology.

3. Conduct additional research during R&D phase to evaluate the environmental impact of smart flooring technology and identify opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint.

4. Develop a sustainable supply chain strategy that ensures responsible sourcing of materials and reduces waste throughout the product life cycle.

Over next five years we will aim to achieve the following impact goals:

1. Expand the use of smart flooring technology to 10-100 healthcare facilities.

2. Continue to evolve different applications of the smart flooring technology with improvements related to patient safety.

We will have a quality improvement system in place that will measure our progress towards achieving our goals and objectives and find opportunities for growth in alignment with various UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We have a solution that is greatly going to be beneficial to the elderly population who want to maintain independent living. This technology will enable early detection of health issues, improve patient outcomes and potentially save many lives. 

Artificial intelligence

Cloud Computing

Machine learning

We will aim to implement and develop a Diversity Equity Inclusion written policy that will outline our commitment to the DEI initiatives and sets expectations for all future employees. We will build training programs for all employees on how to recognize and address unconscious biases in the workplace. We will aim to foster a workplace culture that promotes respect, inclusivity, and open communication. We will also aim to establish partnerships with diverse organizations. By prioritizing our DEI initiatives, we will aim to create a more positive and productive workplace culture where people will love to come back to work everyday.

We will learn to develop a sustainable business model for our smart flooring technology.

We will aim to utilize sustained donations and grants during our Research and development phase as we look to build a prototype for our smart flooring technology. At some point we will also need to raise investment capital for our project.

We have reached out to several stakeholders and university professors who are diligently looking to help us with team building and connecting us with the right resources.