MANY STROKE VICTIMS HAVE
DIFFICULTY WALKING DUE TO AN

UNEVEN GAIT.
PHYSICAL THERAPISTS EMPLOY

VARIOUS TECHNIQUES THAT REQUIRE
EXPENSIVE AND CUMBERSOME

EQUIPMENT.
A MECHANICAL ENGINEER WITH A

PASSION FOR HELPING PEOPLE AND A
DEDICATED PHYSICAL THERAPIST

HAVE TEAMED UP TO DEVELOP A
DEVICE THAT IS MUCH EASIER TO

USE.
IT IS THE GAIT-ENHANCING MOBILE

SHOE, OR GEMS.
>> THIS IS THE COMPUTER-ASSISTED

REHABILITATION ENVIRONMENT, OR
CAREN.

IT'S HOUSED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTH FLORIDA WITH A PRICE TAG

OF OVER A MILLION DOLLARS.
ONLY A HANDFUL OF UNIVERSITIES

UTILIZE THEM FOR RESEARCH.
>> IT'S BASICALLY A SPLIT-BELT

TREADMILL SO THE TWO TREADS CAN
MOVE AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS,

MOUNTED ON A SIX DEGREE OF
FREEDOM BASE, SO WE CAN ROTATE

IT, TWIST IT, MOVE IT UP AND
DOWN AND ALL AROUND.

IT HAS GOT A 180 DEGREE SCREEN
SO YOU CAN PUT VIRTUAL REALITY

ENVIRONMENTS IN FRONT OF YOU.
IT HAS TEN CAMERAS THAT TRACK

MARKERS THAT WE CAN PLACE IN
VARIOUS PLACES ON THE BODY.

WE USE IT TO UNDERSTAND HOW
PEOPLE CAN WALK AND HOW WE CAN

CHANGE THEIR GAIT PATTERNS.
>> DR. KYLE REED IS A MECHANICAL

ENGINEER WITH A PASSION TO HELP
PEOPLE WHO NEED PHYSICAL

THERAPY.
HE DECIDED TO CREATE A NEW

DEVICE THAT WOULD BE LESS
EXPENSIVE AND MORE ACCESSIBLE TO

PATIENTS WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY
WALKING.

>> I HAD SEEN A SPLIT-BELT
TREADMILL, AND THAT WAS THE

INSPIRATION FOR THE SHOE.
THE POINT OF THE SHOE IS THAT IT

LETS PEOPLE TRAIN IN THE REAL
WORLD WHERE THEY ARE ACTUALLY

GOING TO BE ACTIVE IN DOING THE
MOTIONS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO

BE WALKING.
>> THE SHOE HE'S REFERRING TO IS

THE GAIT ENHANCING MOBILE SHOE,
OR GEMS.

DR. KYLE TEAMED UP WITH PHYSICAL
THERAPIST RESEARCHER HUN KIM AT

USF SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY
AND REHABILITATION SCIENCES.

THE GOAL -- TO DEVELOP THIS NEW
DEVICE FOR STROKE SURVIVORS.

>> INDIVIDUAL WITH STROKE, THEY
TEND TO PUT MORE WEIGHT ON THEIR

GOOD SIDE.
THEN IF YOU DON'T USE THEIR

AFFECTED SIDE, THEN YOU'RE GOING
TO LOSE IT.

>> THIS GEM SHOE IS SEVEN YEARS
IN DEVELOPMENT.

AFTER GOING THROUGH SEVERAL
ITERATIONS, THEY CAME UP WITH A

DEVICE READY FOR STUDY.
THEY ARE NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF

TESTING THE DEVICE ON STROKE
SURVIVORS.

DIANE IS THE FOURTH PATIENT TO
BE TESTED.

ALTHOUGH HER STROKE OCCURRED
SEVEN YEARS AGO AND CAUSED

EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, SHE WAS
DETERMINED TO JOIN THE STUDY.

>> IN THE BEGINNING, I WAS KIND
OF SCARED, BUT I GOT USED TO THE

SHOE, SO -- AND I THINK I DID
PRETTY GOOD.

AS I'VE BEEN USING IT, I NOTICED
THERE WERE SOME CHANGES AT HOME.

I'M ABLE TO WALK FASTER.
AND MY KNEE MOVES AND MY TOES,

I'VE NOTICED THEY ARE STARTING
TO MOVE.

AND THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THE
THINGS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN

BEFORE.
>> DR. KIM HAS DIANE TAKE STEPS

ALONG A GAIT-MEASURING WALKWAY
THAT HAS SENSORS TO MEASURE HER

WALKING PATTERN.
>> WE ARE COMPARING THEIR

SPATIAL-TEMPORAL VARIABLE.
SPATIAL MEANS TRIED LENGTH AND

HOW EACH TOE DEVIATED FROM THE
LINEAR LINE.

AND TEMPORAL VARIABLE MEANS HOW
LONG THEY TAKE A STEP.

WE PUT THE SHOE ON THE HEALTHY
SIDE, WHICH SEEMS A LITTLE

COUNTERINTUITIVE, BUT IT'S
ACTUALLY WORKING ON THE

IMPAIRED SIDE.
IN SOME SENSE, IT MAKES THE

HEALTHY LEG LESS STABLE.
AND SO IT IS CAUSING THEM TO

HAVE TO SPEND MORE TIME AND TRY
HARDER TO WALK WITH THEIR

IMPAIRED LEG.
>> DR. REED'S DESIGN IS BASED ON

THE SPIRAL.
>> STANDING ON THE SHOE THERE'S

BASICALLY THESE ASYMMETRIC
WHEELS THAT AS YOU PUT DOWN

WEIGHT, THERE IS AN ASYMMETRY OF
WHERE THE AXLE FORCE IS AND

WHERE THE GROUND REACTION FORCE
IS.

SO AS YOU PUSH DOWN ON IT, IT
CAUSES THE WHEEL TO ROTATE.

THAT ROTATION CAUSES THE SHOE TO
GO BACKWARDS.

SO IT'S MIMICKING A SPLIT-BELT
TREADMILL IN THE SENSE THAT WHEN

YOU STEP DOWN, IT'S CAUSING YOUR
FOOT TO GO BACKWARDS.

>> HE'S USUALLY PRESENT DURING
EACH EVALUATION AND TRAINING.

>> SOMETIMES DURING THE TRAINING
SESSION, THERE IS A PIECE THAT

BREAKS OR SOMETHING IS NOT QUITE
WORKING RIGHT.

SO I HAVE TO GO AND GRAB IT, FIX
IT UP, AND KIND OF WORK ON IT.

PUTTING IT ON THEM AND SEEING
AND GETTING THEIR FEEDBACK IS

IMMENSELY VALUABLE TO FIND OUT
WHAT PARTS ARE NOT WORKING AS

WELL SO WE CAN REDESIGN THOSE
AND TO KEEP THE ONES THAT ARE

WORKING VERY WELL.
>> THESE CLINICAL TRIALS ARE

BEING RUN WITH VERY STRICT
PROTOCOLS.

>> WE'RE LOOKING AT HER WALKING
PATTERN, PROVIDE VERY MINIMAL

GUIDANCE.
AND ALSO, WE HAVE TO CHECK

BLOOD PRESSURE AND RESPIRATORY
RATE AS WELL AS HEART RATE.

[ MUSIC ]
>> SOMETIMES RESEARCH ENGINEERS,

LIKE DR. REED, EXPERIMENT WITH
THEIR DESIGNS.

>> THERE IS A DEVICE WE CAME UP
WITH CALLED THE KINETIC BOARD.

IN SOME SENSE, IT'S A VERY LARGE
VERSION OF THE GEMS.

YOU ACTUALLY KIND OF LEAN BACK
AND FORTH.

AND THAT ROCKING BACK AND FORTH
MOTION ENGAGES THE BACK WHEELS

AND THEN THE FRONT WHEELS AND
THAT ALLOWS YOU TO PROPEL

YOURSELF FORWARD.
WE'VE ACTUALLY FOUND THAT IT

DEMONSTRATES THE PRINCIPLE OF
THE GEMS.

BECAUSE IT'S MUCH BIGGER,
YOU CAN SEE IT MOVING.

YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THE
PIECES ARE WORKING.

ANOTHER SPINOFF WE HAD FROM IT
WAS TAKING THAT SAME WHEEL SHAPE

BUT PUTTING IT ON THE END OF A
CRUTCH.

SO IT'S NOT ENTIRE WHEEL SHAPE,
BUT IT'S MORE OF A CURVE THAT IS

ASYMMETRIC FROM FRONT TO BACK.
THE SAME PRINCIPLE AS THE GEMS,

WHEN YOU PUSH DOWN, BECAUSE IT'S
ASYMMETRIC, IT CAUSES A FORWARD

MOTION THAT IS GOING TO ASSIST
YOU WHILE YOU'RE WALKING ON THE

CRUTCH.
WITH THE KINETICRUTITCH TIP,

IT ALLOWS YOU TO PLANT DOWN.
THEN ONCE YOU GET INTO THE

MOTION, IT WILL PROPEL YOU
FORWARD.

>> WHATEVER THE CHALLENGE,
DR. REED IS FOCUSED ON HELPING

PEOPLE.
>> I STARTED LEARNING MORE AND

MORE ABOUT THE PHYSICAL THERAPY
REALM AND JUST GOT A PASSION FOR

IT THAT I WANTED TO MAKE THESE
DEVICES MORE EFFECTIVE SO IT CAN

HELP PEOPLE RESTORE THEIR
MOTIONS THAT THEY HAVE.

>> FOR TEST SUBJECT DIANE, SHE'S
WELL ON HER WAY TO RESTORING

SOME FUNCTIONALITY TO HER GAIT.
>> NORMAL WALKING SHE IMPROVED

ABOUT 20% IN THE WALKING SPEED.
AND STEP LENGTH, ABOUT 10 TO 20

PERCENT SO FAR.
ALSO, WE CAN SEE MORE

SYMMETRICAL GAIT PATTERN.
WE EXPECTED TO A CERTAIN EXTENT,

BUT THE OUTCOME WE ARE LOOKING
AT IS BEYOND WHAT WE EXPECTED.

THIS IS VERY PROMISING.
>> WELL, I KNOW I'M NEVER GOING

TO BE A HUNDRED PERCENT, BUT,
YOU KNOW, I WANT TO GET AS CLOSE

TO THAT HUNDRED PERCENT AS
POSSIBLE.

AND I THINK THE SHOE IS REALLY
HELPING OUT.

>> THE GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO
MASS-PRODUCE THE GEM SHOE AND

MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO ALL
PATIENTS IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

>> I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE GEMS
BE AVAILABLE AT EITHER A RENTAL

MODEL OR LOW COST FOR PURCHASE
WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO INTO A

CLINIC, LEARN HOW IT WORKS AND
THEN COME BACK AND TAKE IT WITH

THEM TO HOME.
AND THEY COULD TRAIN EVERY

SINGLE DAY FOR A MONTH, TWO
MONTHS, HOWEVER LONG THEY NEED

IT TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THE
WALKING ABILITY THAT THEY WANT.

>> QUEST FOR INNOVATION AT: