Problem

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among the elderly, often triggering a devastating domino effect—strokes, paralysis, and loss of independence. Current walking aids restrict upper body movement crucial for natural balancing, leading to poor posture, increased fatigue, and greater dependence on such devices over time. These solutions fail to address the core need for balance and stability during movement.

Motivation

My grandmother lost her balance during a routine walk in May '24, leading to an unfortunate fall. She was hesitant to use her walker due to its unnatural feel. The fall resulted in a blood clot causing a brain stroke, and partial paralysis. This instance pushed a deep sense of urgency in me to reimagine the current walking aid devices.

Toolkit

Primary & Secodary Research | Rapid Ideation & Sketching | CAD & Rendering

Team

Personal Project

Introduction

Human gait can be defined as a series of alternating movements of the body’s extremities in a rhythmic motion that results in forward progression of the body with minimal energy expenditure.

Upper-body movements play a critical role as mechanical aids in regaining stability when balance is lost. Swinging arms in opposition to the lower limbs reduces angular momentum, helping balance the body’s rotational motion during walking. When this upper-body motion is restrained, it leads to:
- Reduced stability.
- Increased energy consumption.

Counter upper body movement balances angular momentum, avoiding falls

A human's energy expenditure is minimum while walking under the "normal" circumstance when compared to "Bound", "Held", and "Anti-Normal"

Approach

Research: Identifying a lack of innovation in walking aids, I began with extensive research. Conversations with my grandparents and elderly neighbors offered valuable, unbiased insights into user challenges such as the high efforts in usage of traditional walkers and pain in shoulders and lower back over extended use. Digging deeper, the secondary research revealed the global scope of the issue. The proposed product aims to help two categories of users - people with fear of falling and people with risk of falling.

Conceptualization: Inspired by everyday products like the cross-trainer at the gym, I sketched various designs and refined them through multiple iterations. I gradually arrived at a simple yet effective guide-and-rail mechanism with options for custom positioning. Line diagrams were used to define the mechanism’s movement, dimensions, and ergonomics.

Design Iterations & Simulations: With the sketches and dimensions finalized, I developed a detailed CAD model to validate the product’s assembly. While time constraints prevented physical prototyping, I conducted extensive animations and motion analysis. These simulations verified the product’s functionality, giving me confidence in its feasibility and performance.

Proposed Impact

Risk of falling due to loss of balance is the largest cause of concern in the elderly. 1 in 4 older adults aged over 65 face falling. A study showed that individuals with two or more head trauma had a 94 percent greater chance of stroke, compared with those with no head injury.

Right Walk encourages a more dynamic and natural gait. It helps the body relearn natural balance and gradually reduces reliance on assistive walking devices.

Arm Swing enables better self-balance

Natural braking, similar to airport trolley's mechanism

A rigid support for people with risk of falling, allows for an erect posture