If you were afflicted with a balance disorder, would you rather use a walker at all times or simply wear a backpack? Dutch scientists have developed a special version of the latter, which utilizes two gyroscopes to keep its wearer standing straight and stable.
Ataxia is often a symptom of conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain injuries and Parkinson's disease, in which the cerebellum region of the brain is damaged or degraded. Because the cerebellum is responsible for muscle coordination and balance, people suffering from ataxia typically have difficulty maintaining their balance when standing or walking.
As a result, such folks usually end up having to use a walker – or at least a cane – to keep from falling over. Not only can such devices be awkward, many people also perceive them as being stigmatizing. That's where the GyroPack backpack comes in.
The device was first developed by Prof. Heike Vallery's team at the Delft University of Technology, and more recently optimized for ataxia by Dr. Jorik Nonnekes and colleagues at Radboud University Medical Center.
Utilizing two spinning-flywheel gyroscopes which are triggered by its wearer's movements, the pack has a damping effect on unintentional rotational movements of the torso. Although the counteractive resistance that it creates doesn't outright stop these movements, it slows them to the point that the person has time to regain their balance before falling over.
The GyroPack was tested by 14 people with ataxia, who performed five balance and walking exercises while wearing the backpack with its gyroscopes active, wearing the pack with the gyros spinning but set to cancel each other out (as a placebo), and without wearing the pack at all.
Needless to say, the greatest improvement in balance was seen when the volunteers were wearing the GyroPack in its active state. "Patients were visibly much more stable and, for example, were much better able to walk in a straight line," says Nonnekes.
That said, the prototype device still made a difference even in its placebo state. This is likely due to the stabilizing effect of its ~6-kg (13-lb) weight, which the scientists are working on reducing. They also want to reduce its operating noise, along with making other improvements.
"The backpack isn't yet suitable for everyday use, but in the future it could potentially make daily life easier for people with ataxia, allowing them to go to a party, for example, without a walker, which some people find cumbersome," states Nonnekes. "This would provide much more freedom of movement and hopefully lead to a better quality of life."
A paper on the project was recently published in the journal npj Robotics.
