CBC National talks to Dr. Geoff Fernie, director of research, Toronto Rehab, to learn how a research lab is applying technology to real world problems facing the disabled and elderly. (Video screen capture: CBC National)
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You’re safely buckled in, hanging from a six-foot rope and anticipating the next move. It might sound like a carnival ride but it’s actually FallsLab, Toronto Rehab’s newest research facility in the iDAPT Centre.
FallsLab is a 2D motion-platform that researchers are using to study balance control. It was created to address the issue of falling, mainly in the older population, which can lead to hospitalization and sometimes death.
In this video Dr. Geoff Fernie, director of research at Toronto Rehab, explains the idea behind FallsLab and how the technology works. (Video: UHN)
The platform is the largest of its kind in the world, and provides a controlled setting for subjects to be jolted off-balance while being monitored by sensors and force plates. It allows scientists to study the physical reaction to unexpected displacement, immediate recovery and even someone’s susceptibility to falling.
FallsLab will test products like handrails to determine the most appropriate positioning, and eventually work with industry professionals to get them on the market.
