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: