Airbags lessen impact of human falls
- added September 27, 2008
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- Healthcare (311)
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Nasty falls, however, may be things of the past — thanks to the invention of the human airbag.
Simply strap the 2½lb (1.1kg) pouch around the waist and the wearer is armed with the cutting edge of protection. Sensors detect movement and have been programmed to know when things have gone wrong — a slip on something wet, a stumble on an uneven paving stone or a fall down stairs.
Within a tenth of a second, the airbags inflate to the size of three footballs as they are blasted into action with 15 litres of compressed gas, offering a soft slab of padding on the most vulnerable parts of the body in a fall: the back of the head and the bottom.
Other gadgets for the elderly:
Liquid level indicator Device fitted to cups or jugs that beeps when liquid is an inch from the top of the container
Bed occupancy sensor sends a warning to a monitoring centre if a bed is left unoccupied for a certain period, indicating a possible fall
Dolls that weigh as much as a baby and tell owners they love them, and welcome them back to the house — very popular with elderly women
Brain training game Nintendo gadget successful with elderly Japanese who use the mathematical and spelling puzzles to keep them mentally agile
Light-up slippers Footwear with miniature pressure-activated torches designed to prevent night-time falls
Simply strap the 2½lb (1.1kg) pouch around the waist and the wearer is armed with the cutting edge of protection. Sensors detect movement and have been programmed to know when things have gone wrong — a slip on something wet, a stumble on an uneven paving stone or a fall down stairs.
Within a tenth of a second, the airbags inflate to the size of three footballs as they are blasted into action with 15 litres of compressed gas, offering a soft slab of padding on the most vulnerable parts of the body in a fall: the back of the head and the bottom.
Other gadgets for the elderly:
Liquid level indicator Device fitted to cups or jugs that beeps when liquid is an inch from the top of the container
Bed occupancy sensor sends a warning to a monitoring centre if a bed is left unoccupied for a certain period, indicating a possible fall
Dolls that weigh as much as a baby and tell owners they love them, and welcome them back to the house — very popular with elderly women
Brain training game Nintendo gadget successful with elderly Japanese who use the mathematical and spelling puzzles to keep them mentally agile
Light-up slippers Footwear with miniature pressure-activated torches designed to prevent night-time falls
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Airbags, found mainly behind the wheel, are now cushioning Japan's growing elderly population from accidents off the road as well.
Designed by a Japanese company, the airbag for seniors is placed behind the head and hips, inflating in fractions of a second when a backwards fall is detected.
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See video here.
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