Smart Walking Stick Monitors Vitals and Calls for Help
This is one of those devices that I can’t help but think it should have been developed sooner because it is simple yet brilliant.
A concept called simply “the aid” this walking stick is designed to give confidence to those who have suffered traumatic injuries. The cane provides vital signs to help users better monitor their health. It also provides a simple navigation system to help you get home. Should an emergency occur it can even call a central health center and give them your location courtesy of “the aid”.
Having had family that relied upon a cane to simply get around, a device like this would have given the whole family more confidence in their safety. When you have already had a major injury that requires the use of a cane, you are even more scared that something worse will happen because you are so unstable.
The 2011 Fujitsu design award was given to “the aid” designer Egle Ugintaite from Lithuania. In his words:
”the aid’ is mainly dedicated to help elderly people, or people after trauma who often have a lack of confidence to step outside their house, causing isolation, depression… ‘the aid’ is designed to be a real ‘helping hand’: to guide and prevent one from being lost, providing a feeling of security, allowing one to receive immediate help if they need it, and, of course physical support, as a walking cane. an integrated navigator, which works as a service + health device (pulse, blood pressure temperature) features measuring sensors along with an SOS button, which, by pressing it when help is needed, contacts the help centerand sends the user’s current health data and location to provide immediate and qualified help. the object is simple to use (2 buttons only), but at the same time smart.
A much more in depth description and a bunch of great images can be found at this website.
[...] I think it’s great it when someone designs an esthetically beautiful product that is functional and helpful to people, especially something for our elderly population. Being a baby boomer with a sick, aging parent, I was happy to come across this walking cane called, ”the Aid,” by Lithuanian designer, Egle Ugintaite. [...]