Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up - Gizmodo Comments

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

soldstatic — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 23:16:18 EST

by the way, another really good use for this system is monitoring the senior BEFORE they fall, and even after. At the lab we're working on another easier to install sensor to accomplish the same thing, but we're trying to monitor the senior citizen's gait. If someone is limping a bit, they might be too bull headed or think its not important enough to bring up to the nurse, but the computer knows all and could even track changes in the condition over time (say a limp gets just a little worse every week, but the nurse who is with them every day can't see visually the differences).

soldstatic

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

jbtampa — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:53:12 EST

Seniors at my nursing home can not be restrained, so the new beds go very low, and on each side is a "landing strip" to cushion the fall. Of course, their pajamas are all wired to a loud buzzer. They fall a very short distance to a soft pad, the buzzer lets us know to go beat the living tar out of them, dork em out with 700mg thorazine, and slap the shit out of them. We can't restrain them, you know....

jbtampa

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Jordan Lund — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:10:28 EST

You guys can laugh... but I'm not old (38) and I have bad knees...

Last week I was sitting cross-legged on my bed and dislocated my right knee.

Now, besides the excruciating pain, I'm left with the question "What do I do?"

My full charged cell phone is in my jacket pocket in the hall closet.

My cats, smart though they are, have mastered door knobs but have yet to comprehend dead bolt locks so sending them for help isn't a possibility.

So I did what any action movie star would do, I gritted my teeth (no stick within reach) and straightened my leg through all the cracking and popping noises.

It was the single most agonizing thing I've had to do to myself, but I live alone, there weren't any other options.

Jordan Lund

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

ANoel — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:15:37 EST

@strider_mt2k:
"I'm sorry but if I can't get up on my own then let me die.
I'd just slow the rest of you down."

viagra.

ANoel

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

soldstatic — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:55:58 EST

HA oh my gosh, I actually work with the lab at university of missouri that is making this! how wierd to see it on the giz!!!!

The overall goal is to have a system that is in place 24/7, doesn't require anything from the user. No pendant to forget to put on in the morning, no need to push a button, have it be automatic.

And someone was saying how can you tell the difference between falling and sex, well the floor vibrates and/or the pressure sensors pick up different vibrations. They would be at completely different frequencies and have totally different patterns, we've proven that already.

And as far as monitoring heart rate, we have a sensor that lays flat underneath the cover sheet on the bed that can pick up breathing rate, heart rate, and restlessness (when they roll over alot in the night).

GIZ WRITERS::;;::

Change the links to the following:
[eldertech.missouri.edu]
[eldertech.missouri.edu]

its hard to find from the main missouri.edu site. :) And thanks for the story!

soldstatic

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

_woozzy_ — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:19:48 EST

Oh and by the way, that lady is faking.

_woozzy_

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

_woozzy_ — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:14:37 EST

@GizFanAlpha: What the hell are you talking about? You can't even spend your own money the way you want anymore. You think the GOV. is just gonna let you die when you want?

_woozzy_

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

discounteggroll — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:59:03 EST

@dave the wet sprocket:
all I could think of was that robotic skeleton Sigourney Weaver jumped in

discounteggroll

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

dave the wet sprocket — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:30:47 EST

why not just make pants for seniors that are structurally reinforced and shaped like weeble-wobbles? they'd never fall. give one a good punch, they'll pop right back up.

dave the wet sprocket

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

JAV — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:50:24 EST

@strider_mt2k: my feelings exactly

JAV

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Patchouli — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:44:57 EST

All jokes aside but wouldn't some sorta watch like device with an accelerometer and a micro controller in it be able to perform the same function for a lot less?

Patchouli

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

utube2007 — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:30:46 EST

@The Sword Master: I was expecting the same thing.

utube2007

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Darkest Daze — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:01:36 EST

@xXCapto-ExsequorXx:
Damn. It's sad when your grandma is more bad-ass than me. (Sad for me, not her)

Darkest Daze

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

xXCapto-ExsequorXx — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:08:11 EST

The red caption should read, "If only I wasn't shting when they took this picture."

They should be working harder on preventing the weakness that causes falls. My great grandma is 88, and can out walk our entire family. It's like she glides. Also she got hit by a car, and got up and walked home unharmed. Shes Haitian, so she eats allot of traditional Haitian foods. Could be why shes so health. Shes like super ggma, the only thing that scares her is snakes. Because shes had some bad encounters in Haiti. She sleeps with a machete under her bed, in nyc, just encase snakes come, :p. That's bad ass. You don't mess with grandma.

xXCapto-ExsequorXx

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

xXCapto-ExsequorXx — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:56:37 EST

@GizFanAlpha: Shock? Not a painless lethal injection, but shock? Seniors writhing in pain before they die. Ns...

xXCapto-ExsequorXx

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

kendra68 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:56:21 EST

@SWORDMASTER-I thought the exact same thing, I was hoping to see a video!

kendra68

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

ab3 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:52:20 EST

@GizFanAlpha: Thats actually a somewhat decent idea although a little creepy/possibly considered by some to be inhumain

ab3

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

robinandtami — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:49:54 EST

@tehblacksheep234:

They definitely do... although sometimes with disasterous results. I've worked in long term care for several years and could tell many great stories. Unfortunately HIPAA laws prevent me from doing so.

robinandtami

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Mandatory_Field — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:42:34 EST

@tehblacksheep234: Speak for yourself: I can has seniur sex. I hope.

Mandatory_Field

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

ideaman2020 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:38:01 EST

@tehblacksheep234: "Oldies do not have sex."

You just keep telling yourself that, buddy...

ideaman2020

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

naokigraphics — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:35:54 EST

They should also make "smart underwear" or "iDepends undergarments" It would sense any soilage and indicate ripeness via LED lights.

It would also play MP3s.

Jailbreak for better apps.

naokigraphics

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

jspec1594 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:31:16 EST

this could be useful

jspec1594

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

gadgetfanatic — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:05:06 EST

@strider_mt2k:My thoughts exactly.

gadgetfanatic

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

strider_mt2k — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:00:46 EST

I'm sorry but if I can't get up on my own then let me die.
I'd just slow the rest of you down.

strider_mt2k

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

svgjjc — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:59:26 EST

Does reading too many blogs short circuit the creative brain! This is a (relatively)high resolution pressure grid that could be cheap enough to put into your whole house - think of the cool possibilities once those researchers start supplying APIs.

svgjjc

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

gadgetfanatic — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:57:26 EST

@discounteggroll: This may sound a bit morbid, but I had an idea for a defibrulator implant with a suicide option. If the user decides he doesn't want to continue on living, he/she can just flip a switch to turn up the juice and shock themselves to death.

gadgetfanatic

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

discounteggroll — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:25:21 EST

DNR has a new meaning: Do Not Resexutate...aka "stay the fuck away" (senior style)

there should seriously be a remote heartbeat monitor for seniors. if it's flatlined for more than 20 seconds than respond. otherwise; the boom boom boom is in progress and thus should be ignored

discounteggroll

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

discounteggroll — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:17:52 EST

"just set it and...forget it"

shit-wrong infomercial

discounteggroll

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science. — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:07:22 EST

@Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.: i mean foot doctors!! i was talking to someone while typing...

podiatry, aswell

Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science. — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:05:14 EST

this would be useless if they were to
1. have a heart attack laying in their bed/sitting in a chair
2. fall in the shower/bath/bathroom

LifeCall has a waterproof pendant and the ability to speak to the person to verify the issue (if not they phone the house and if no answer they send an ambulance)

they might aswell develop this for pediatrist (phone doctors) uses, not something as useless as this thing

Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science.

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Theophilus P. Wildebeeste — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:04:35 EST

And it will determine that the new stationary object on the carpet isn't a new piece of furniture how?

Theophilus P. Wildebeeste

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

P3nnst8r — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:58:10 EST

That lady doesn't look like she needs help, she's just wasted.

P3nnst8r

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

phe — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:57:03 EST

Doh! Someone already jumped on the idea of grandma and grandpa moving from the bed to the floor. Imagine the dismay of the rescuers. Of course, maybe emergency services should be alerted to this kind of activity anyhow.

Enjoy the mental cringeworthiness, folks.

phe

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

FancyRat — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:56:57 EST

@The Sword Master: Same.
and @ Will: Oldies do not have sex.

FancyRat

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

sfokevin — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:49:27 EST

Wouldn't it be cheaper and more effective to incorporate this gizmo into a pair of Depends?...

sfokevin

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

will — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:48:15 EST

how would it be able to discern if they had fallen, or were just having sex on the floor?

will

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

Simpsons-Movie-ruled — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:45:12 EST

but wat if they jus happen to like laying on their carpet....oh

Simpsons-Movie-ruled

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

The Sword Master — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:44:19 EST

When I read the title I thought this carpet had some sort of catapult that shot the seniors back onto their feet. Now I'm disappointed.

The Sword Master

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

rimshot515 — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:36:37 EST

i say just let survival of the fittest do its part.
thanks to old people i wont get any social security.
goddamn seniors.

rimshot515

Smart Carpet Can Help Seniors Who Fall and Can't Get Up

diverguy — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:18:02 EST

I've fallen and I can't.... ick.. I need to vacume under the bed...

diverguy