How does Amey Desai's wearable device help Parkinson's patients?

Desai's wearable device, WALK, uses muscle stimulation and rhythmic vibrations to help reset the spinal cord's control, thereby reducing freezing of gait in Parkinson's patients.

What were the results of the WALK device in the NIMHANS trial?

The NIMHANS trial found that the WALK device significantly reduced the number, severity, and duration of freezing episodes experienced by patients.

What is Freezing of Gait (FOG) and how is it treated?

FOG is a sudden, temporary inability to take steps in Parkinson's patients. The WALK device offers a new treatment by providing external rhythmic cues to improve movement continuity.

Home / Health / BITS Engineer's Wearable Restores Walking

BITS Engineer's Wearable Restores Walking

23 Jan

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Summary

Device uses muscle stimulation to reset spinal cord's control.
NIMHANS trial significantly reduced freezing episodes.
Wearable offers accessible alternative to costly treatments.

BITS Engineer's Wearable Restores Walking

A pioneering wearable device named WALK, developed by BITS Pilani graduate Amey Desai, is showing promising results in helping individuals with Parkinson's Disease manage freezing of gait (FOG). This innovative technology utilizes muscle stimulation to improve coordination and continuity while walking. The device, worn on the legs, detects limb freezing and provides rhythmic vibrations or mild electrical stimuli. These sensory cues help reset the spinal cord's control, bypassing faulty brain communication caused by Parkinson's.

Initial trials indicated a reduction in gait issues by approximately 50 percent. Subsequent testing at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru demonstrated that WALK significantly decreased the frequency, severity, and duration of freezing episodes. Dr. Pramod Kumar Pal of NIMHANS highlighted the device's potential as an accessible alternative to more complex or expensive neuro-stimulation treatments.