The Next Generation Walking Cane
It appears that technological advancements are affecting all areas of life – including that of the centuries-old walking.
In case you thought that your walking cane could not get any better, think again.
A French startup company has been responsible for the unveiling of the “Dring Smartcane”.
It is said to be the cane of the future and has been designed to help elderly or mobility-challenged individuals, in particular.
The Dring Smartcane tackles this in a variety of ways. First, it carefully monitors the general movement patterns of an individual.
This is done with the help of movement sensors within the cane. These include an accelerometer and a gyroscope. This is constantly being recorded and then sent to a secure server.
Here, algorithms make sense of this information and look for patterns as well as atypical movements.
The other feature of this smart cane is an alert system that can inform a caregiver when the individual has fallen or is in a distressing situation.
In certain cases, the cane user doesn’t even need to send out the signal. The smart cane is able to detect when a fall has taken place and is able to send the SOS itself.
This ‘signal’ uses a cell phone network to contact the primary caregiver. They will receive an alert in the form of a phone call, email, or text message.
This message may even contain the whereabouts of the cane user thanks to georeferencing.
It is not just a one-way street, however. The caregiver can then send a response so that the injured party knows that their help signal was acknowledged.
While all of these functions are amazing, they actually are really easy to use. The setup takes only moments and can be undertaken by anyone.
Another advantage is the charge of the smart cane. It only has to be charged infrequently – often with weeks in between charging sessions.
This is a remarkable cane that can give relief to numerous individuals who are at risk of such a situation.
It can also act as a preventative tool. Due to all of the sensors and recording of movement, this could help detect when a person’s condition is deteriorating.
It is also a great example of how an old-fashioned tool can be paired well with revolutionary technology.
The cane itself is much like any other, in terms of both appearance as well as use. As such, no one should have difficulty operating it.
Will this become a preferred option for cane users in the future? Let’s see. The top cane models of today can be found here.
