A. Hip Protector

A hip fracture is generally the result of a fall. Hip protectors consist of specifically designed padding worn around the hip to reduce the impact of a fall. Early reports indicated that hip protector could reduce hip fracture and it was advocated to be used for high risk elderly people who had previous history of fall. But more and more evidence gathered do not support the early claims that hip protector is an effective intervention.

According to a systematic review of the accumulating evidence from randomized studies published since the mid-1990s, “hip protectors are an ineffective intervention for those living at home and that their effectiveness in an institutional setting is uncertain”. This review was published in 2006 March, British Medical Journal (Effectiveness of hip protectors for preventing hip fractures in elderly people: systematic review).

B. Wearable Airbag

A Dutch company called WOLK has developed a wearable airbag to protect elderly when they fall. Containing an accelerometer and a gyroscope, this wearable airbag could inflate quickly and act like a cushion when it senses that the user is falling. This innovative product is now undergone testing. The company expects to launch this new product by the end of 2017, at a price around $400 Euros.

A US startup called Active Protective is also developing a similar product. The founder is Dr. Robert Buckman. When he was serving as the Director of Trauma at St. Mary’s hospital, he recognized the adverse consequence of hip fracture when frail elderly people fell down.

C. Balancing Shoes

B-shoes technologies is a startup in Israel. It is developing a pair of “balancing shoes” that could prevent the user from falling by a combination of sensor, micro-processor and motion device. A workable prototype has been developed and tested.

In the next 5 to 10 years, we expect research teams from universities and private firms all over the world will develop more innovative e-health products, in the form wearable devices.