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Parkinson’s disease is one of the fastest-growing neurological disorders in the world, with an estimated 12 million people affected globally. With symptoms that include involuntary shaking, muscle stiffness, slow movements, and gait freezing, which is when a person feels like they are stuck to the floor, the disease not only takes a physical toll but a mental and emotional one as well.
These effects of Parkinson’s often make those suffering from it self-conscious of their condition, which leads to an isolated approach to daily life that can exacerbate the effects of the disease and make things worse for both the patient and their family.
A popular and successful approach that has been in place for decades to assist Parkinson’s patients is visual cueing, which entails creating a path on the floor in front of the patient by using tape or pieces of paper as markers. This approach has led to significant improvement in the ability of Parkinson’s patients to walk more quickly and in a more sturdy fashion.
Using this approach as their guide, Scotland-based StrydAR and French company Activelook recently partnered to develop the first pair of Parkinson’s Walking Glasses. These augmented reality glasses project visual cures as holograms into a specific part of the wearer’s field of view, then use a process called “Focused to Infinity” to display these holograms three meters in front of the wearer.
A small pilot study conducted by Robert Gordons University showed that 5 of 7 participants reported improvements in stability, confidence, and balance, as well as a reduced cognitive load associated with walking. And to help alleviate some of the stigma associated with the disease, the glasses have been designed to look like traditional sunglasses.
If you’re interested in taking part in StrydAR’s pilot program or to be put on a list of pre-orders, you can contact the company at [email protected] or go to their site at www.parkinsonswalkingglasses.com.
Image Credit: GAITAR
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