Title image credit:听Laura Peterson
For several months in 2018 and 2019, a handful of engineering students at 兔子先生传媒文化作品 became walker repairers extraordinaire.听
The students, four undergraduates studying mechanical engineering, set up shop on a regular basis at Sunrise at Flatirons, a senior living community in Broomfield, Colorado. There, they fixed squeaky wheels, loose brakes and whatever other problems residents had with their walkers. Sometimes the students, most of whom are graduating this spring, were happy just to chat.
鈥淭hey loved talking to us, which has been super exciting,鈥� said team member Timothy Visos-Ely.
Visos-Ely and his fellow engineers Humsini Acharya, Andrew Plum and Max Watrous, however, weren鈥檛 just in it for the squeaky wheels.听
The students also worked with those same senior residents to test out their new invention鈥攁n accessory for walkers that the team hopes to make widely available to seniors and others. They believe their device could help prevent debilitating falls.
This sensor near the walker wheel records data about users' mobility patterns. (Credit: Laura Peterson)
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, falls among senior citizens lead to roughly 3 million emergency hospital visits every year. But Visos-Ely said that technology-savvy entrepreneurs have largely ignored the needs of this community for years.听
That鈥檚 something that his group wanted to change, especially as many baby boomers get older.
鈥淚ndustry hasn鈥檛 focused on this demographic for so long. It鈥檚 been neglected,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ight now is the perfect time for a company like ours to get into this space.鈥�
The judges at this year鈥檚 New Venture Challenge, a competition for entrepreneurs sponsored by 兔子先生传媒文化作品, concurred. They awarded Visos-Ely, Acharya, Plum and Watrous, who together founded a company called , first place and a $100,000 prize.听
鈥淚 think it is a very promising startup,鈥� said Jason Mendelson, one of those judges and a co-founder of the Boulder-based Foundry Group. 鈥淲hat they are working on has the potential to save lives, injuries and costs, while also maintaining the mobility independence of its customers.鈥�
On their feet
Visos-Ely鈥檚 pursuit of the walker of the future is also a personal one.听
He was inspired to launch the project when his own grandmother, who suffered from several strokes, fell while using her walker. She recovered from her injuries but was hesitant to leave her home afterward.听
鈥淪he thought the walker was going to be there when she fell, but it wasn鈥檛,鈥� said Visos-Ely, now CEO of Stride Tech.
He and his fellow students believed that if older people could be safer when using their walkers, they might be able to stay independent for a longer period of time.听
The Stride Tech team at work during a walker repair clinic in Boulder:听Timothy Visos-Ely (top left), Max Watrous (top right), Humsini Acharya (bottom left) and Andrew Plum (bottom right). (Credits: Laura Peterson)
The quartet took up the project in earnest in spring 2018 when the students enrolled in a hands-on class offered through the Engineering Plus program called 鈥淚nvention and Innovation.鈥� They continued their work during a year-long Capstone Senior Design course in 2018-2019.
The students鈥� first prototype, which they call Smart Step, takes a simple approach toward the complex problem of falls among walker-users. The first part of that is a set of hand grips that vibrate if a person puts too much weight on their assistive device.听
Next up, the team built a sensor that sits near the base of a walker and collects data on users鈥� walking patterns. Care providers can then use that data to help shape future health interventions.
Visos-Ely added that it鈥檚 all pretty easy to use. 鈥淭hey just have to plug it in every night,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the only interaction they have to have with the device at all.鈥�
Going all-in
He and his team members give a lot of the credit for their success to the senior citizens who helped test out their early designs. The feedback the group received from these walker-users was 鈥渂rutally honest,鈥� Andrew Plum said.听
One woman, for example, complained that the walker grips were ugly. At the time, the group was only making them in black. Now, those grips come in a range of colors.
The Stride Tech team has no intention of slowing down, either. Now that these soon-to-be-graduating students have won the New Venture Challenge, they鈥檙e looking for ways to bring their prototype to market.
鈥淲e want to take this minimum viable product and then use the data we collect to create longer-term solutions,鈥� Max Watrous said.
In part, that鈥檚 because team members believe that Stride Tech has a real shot at becoming a successful business鈥攚hile also building new links between the tech community and the elderly.
Ultimately, it鈥檚 why Humsini Acharya got into engineering. 鈥淵ou get to be a nerd and do all this math and science,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also this real way that you can help people.鈥�
