The CORE Institute in Phoenix teamed up with the Arizona WearTech Center to create a smartphone app to detect falls, AZ Big Media reported Sept. 26.
The Lockhart Monitor uses a phone's internal accelerometer and gyroscope to detect falls in older adults, and researchers are validating the technology for a wider demographic. Thurman Lockhart, PhD, of Tempe-based Arizona State University is the project's principal investigator.
"The CORE Institute is taking an innovative approach to orthopedic treatments by thinking of ways to keep people out of their hospitals and finding ways to prevent fall-related injuries," Marc Jacofsky, PhD, chief scientific officer at The CORE Institute told AZ Big Media. "The CORE Institute is thrilled to partner with Dr. Lockhart and give him access to our orthopedic patients. AZ WearTech has allowed this program to develop and be successful and without their support, we wouldn’t be able to clinically validate this technology."