Walk With Path has been invited to join the SHAPES Innovation Action to progress the development of IntellAge. The Smart & Healthy Ageing through People Engaging in Supportive Systems (SHAPES) Innovation Action intends to build, pilot and deploy a large-scale, EU-standardised open platform. The integration of a broad range of technological, organisational, clinical, educational and societal solutions seeks to facilitate long-term healthy and active ageing and the maintenance of a high-quality standard of life.
The collaboration will explore and test new IntellAge features, including user interaction functionality designed for community building and an urban planning tool for identifying places in cities which are associated with an increased fall risk. Walk With Path and SHAPES hope to integrate IntellAge into SHAPES's large-scale, EU-standardised open platform. The SHAPES project has 36 partners across 14 countries.
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Walk With Path applied to the Diabetes Prevention and Complications Challenge, with a solution to reduce the risk of diabetes foot ulcers and provide early ulcer detection should they occur, so as to minimise further consequences, such as amputation.
A person with diabetes dies due to complications in Italy every 20 minutes, with figures rising due to disrupted care as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns. Research by Caruso and team specifically showed that there was a 42% increase in the number of diabetes related amputations during lockdown, due to patients not accessing the required in-person care.
With Path Feel, foot health for people with diabetes can be monitored remotely, without the need for as many appointments, whilst keeping people and their feet safe. Specifically, the insoles track pressure and temperature, which are established biomarkers for ulcers, and based on seeing changes, can provide alerts to the user and their clinician. The user receives alerts on a connected smartphone, whilst the clinician will receive alerts on a web based dashboard.
Roche Diabetes Care Italy selected Walk With Path as the winner of the Roche HealthBuilders challenge, an innovation programme that invites companies and startups to come up with effective ideas to improve the management of health systems and care experiences.
Jonathan Rosetti from Roche Diabetes Care Italy says:
Roche Diabetes Care Italy has always been committed to supporting patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. We had the pleasure to receive many projects, all of great value. Among those that responded best to the various evaluation parameters considered by the panel of evaluators (such as innovation, together with prevention and sustainability), Path Feel stood out and we are happy to select this solution as the winner of the challenge.
Walk With Path and Roche Diabetes Care Italy are currently assessing a pilot together in the Italian market, and working to understand reimbursement routes through the collection of evidence for Path Feel in reducing ulcers for people with diabetes in Italy.
For more information about the challenge and Roche HealthBuilders see https://www.healthbuilders.roche.it/en/challenge/diabetes-pevention-complications/.
]]>It’s been 5 years since we dedicated ourselves to creating inclusive innovations that have a positive impact on people’s lives. To show our appreciation for your support and loyalty, this Christmas we decided to organise the biggest Giveaway we have ever done.
The authors of the best 11 answers to the questions below will be offered by our team the following prizes:
Fill the form to enter the giveaway. The winners will be announced on the 17th of December.
]]>Being in contact with the care team and going to regular checkups is a good opportunity for MS patients to discuss their current treatment, mention any new problems, discuss any further support and keep informed about any new treatments that become available. Disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, however, can make it hard especially for those with immune disorders, to get to clinics and feel safe there. That’s where Path Feel steps in.
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MS is an incurable autoimmune disease, meaning it is caused by the immune system attacking one’s own body. In other words, the immune system attacks the myelin sheath, the electrical insulator of the nerves. This causes inflammation and degeneration of the myelin sheath and the nerves of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
MS can have a wide range of symptoms, depending on what part of the brain or spinal cord is being attacked. Often those symptoms include:
Generally, people initially have the relapsing-remitting MS (MS symptoms that come and go) and, over time, enter a progressive phase (MS symptoms that no longer improve and only worsen). Relapses can range from hours to weeks.
MS is one of the most common disabilities for younger adults. It is usually diagnosed in people in their 20s-30s and is 2-3 times more common in women than men. Although MS has no cure yet, the NHS recommends self-care, regular reviews with your medical team, eating healthy and exercising (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/multiple-sclerosis/living-with/) as methods to slow down the progression of MS. Research has shown that exercise is the most efficient measure in dealing with deterioration symptoms caused by MS. Exercise significantly reduces fatigue and improves strength, mobility, and bowel and bladder function. However, it can be difficult and frustrating for MS patients with sensory disturbances to exercise if they cannot feel the floor well.
Being in contact with the care team and going to regular checkups is a good opportunity for MS patients to discuss their current treatment, mention any new problems, discuss any further support and keep informed about any new treatments that become available.
Disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic can make it hard, especially for those with immune disorders, to get to clinics and feel safe there. That’s where Path Feel steps in. Path Feel is a pair of smart gait-monitoring insoles paired with an app, Path Insight. Path Feel uses its pressure sensors, IMUs, and specialized AI to spot which MS patients are at risk of falls and whether their gait has suddenly changed (due to a relapse). If an MS patient has a gait-affecting relapse, the insoles will immediately notify their healthcare professional via Path Insight, allowing them to personalise treatment and appointment times. Additionally, Path Insight will provide users with regular cognitive tests and mental health questionnaires, allowing their doctors to see if they are having any cognitive/mental health symptoms. Finally, Path Feel’s vibratory motors provide haptic feedback to the sole of users’ feet, meaning they enhance the sensation of the floor for those with sensory disturbances. This will improve MS patients’ balance, encouraging them to stay independent and active.
]]>As we approach the first birthday of the global pandemic (which we hoped would have been over by now), we wanted to check in on you. Despite the uncertainty and chaos, some questions remain the same. How do I cope with the current situation? Thanks to our Walk with Path community, here are some useful tips for you that we hope will make this easier.
]]>Thanks to our Walk with Path community, here are some useful tips for you that we hope will make this easier.
Let's get started!
We are spending so much time indoors lately, so it is important to remain active and keep an eye on our health. Here are some problems we have all come across with some useful solutions.
We have all been there. It's normal to feel stressed as your routines are changing. Eating can help distract us from what is going on around us and in the world. Stress can affect your ability to function as you normally would. It is all about finding the right balance that works for you.
Stress hormones trigger a fight response in your body, where it cannot differentiate between real threats and a perceived threat. Your body therefore believes it is in danger, craving extra fuel (food) to cope with anxiety. In this scenario, we tend to eat more to compensate for lost energy caused by stress. Stress can also affect your ability to feel hunger, resulting in either forgetting to eat or a loss of appetite altogether.
Tip: Keeping your mind busy and finding alternatives to coping with stress can regulate your eating habits. Why not try mediation, dancing to your favourite music, or online cooking lessons to spice up your day.
Keep reading to find out more ways of coping with these stressful times.
Sadly, we cannot meet loved ones as we used to at the moment. But luckily, with today's technology, you can connect with them in your own home.
Tips: Play a game with your family and friends! There are plenty of apps hosting a variety of virtual games that allow you to connect and have fun with important people in your life. Have you tried any of them yet? Here are some of our favourites;
Facetime, Zoom and other social media platforms are great ways to stay in touch with everyone. If you are struggling, Age UK has some good tips on technology to improve your tech skills.
Lockdown boredom? We've got you! There are plenty of ways to get over this. This is the perfect time to start something new and to put your daily worries aside.
Try a new activity such as dancing, painting, meditation, playing an instrument, or something you have never done before. Choose something that interests you. You might surprise yourself, discovering a new fulfilling passion in your life.
Reading a book is one of the best ways to pass the time during lockdown. Transport yourself to a whole new world from the comfort of your home.
If reading a book isn't for you, try listening to a story instead. Podcasts and Amazon’s audible are great alternatives to reading. Try the Audible selection of free reads.
Take advantage of your daily dose of exercise to explore the outdoors. Imagine that you could reward yourself with a post exercise massage.
Did you know that we are soon launching a revolutionary portable massage insole which helps provide an escape for both your feet and mind?
You will be able to conveniently leave the insole in your trainers and have your foot massager following you wherever you go.
]]>Our friends at BBC News released a video feature covering Path Finder last week, which quickly became the 7th most watched video on the site. Follow this link to learn more about how Mel's life has changed ever since she started using Path Finder.
Yesterday, our founder Lise Pape was on the front page of Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten's online edition and today there is a big print feature. She explains how Brexit led her to create a subsidiary in Denmark. The article is in Danish and available to read for Jyllands-Posten subscribers. Follow this link to see it.
In last month's newsletter, we were happy to announce that we had made the Vodafone Techstarter Top 50 shortlist. We can now proudly say that Walk With Path has been chosen as one of the 12 finalists for this competition. We are looking forward to the awards night on February 7th.
We are happy to announce that we are officially registered in Canada, which means that Path Finder will soon be available for purchase there. We are excited for Canadians to try out Path Finder. Sign up to our newsletter to be kept up to date.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has developed a medtech innovation briefing on Path Finder. They praised the hands-free design of the product and saw positive test results. Follow this link for the full briefing.
We would like to welcome Nuala Burke to Walk With Path. She is our new Regulatory, Clinical and Operations Lead from Australia. Her background is an Occupational Therapist, and she has worked as a consultant at The World Health Organization. We are happy to have her on the team.
]]>PD shrinks our lives as it becomes ever more problematical to get around without head-butting the ground in front of us. Often running parallel to our loss of balance is FOG, or Freezing Of Gait. You could be walking into another room when you notice the division between the two rooms caused by the doors' frame. Normal person: So what? Parky person: Our nervous system is mesmerized and puts the brakes on against our will by freezing us to the spot (perhaps welding us to the spot would be a more apt description). FOG has gripped us and lifting our feet off the ground to take a step is well-nigh impossible.
FOG often grabs us when our balance is feeling more vulnerable. For some the difficulties with balance they encounter daily are reasonably well controlled by their medication, but as time passes and our PD progresses this control is gradually lost particularly overnight when we do not take medication because we are asleep (yeah, right! That's not so easy as sleep is very often something we long for but only get a couple or three hours per night).
So, is there anything out there that is without side-effects, non-invasive and not requiring a lot of practice to yield any benefit? Yes! Laser technology is used in a way that takes advantage of the same peculiarities in our brains that cause FOG, namely our reaction to virtual geometry. Putting a line in front of us and concentrating on stepping over it can break us free from a FOG episode (early prototype testing yielded a 55 % improvement walking around a room cluttered with furniture that encouraged FOG and loss of balance in Parky people). But where do we find ground or flooring in front of us marked out with lines?
Path Finder laser projectors put a line in front of our feet that we can touch with our toes or tread on or step over depending on how we set them to suit our preferences. The beam projectors strap on to our shoes. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries provide power for the lasers which project a bright green beam of light; adjust the angle so the green line from each laser is in front of the opposite foot and we are good to go. It does take a bit of practice getting used to the light but to give you an idea here are my observations after trying Path Finder out thoroughly:
Walking on carpet, lino, wooden laminate etc. (basically all indoors surfaces) the beams are sharp and wandering around stepping on the beams I find my usual lack of balance is greatly diminished – don't get me wrong it is not entirely absent and walking appreciable distances is still hard work but it is noticeably steadier and perhaps more importantly I feel much more confident and this feeds into being able to walk under circumstances where I would not risk getting out of my chair before.
Walking outdoors I found tarmac, concrete and stone surfaces reflected the beams well enough to gain benefit from using Path Finder but walking on grass or broken gravel dissipated the beam, a minor problem but I doubt any Parky people who need Path Finder would be trying to play football or rambling mountain trails so losing functionality in these instances would not make a difference to most of us.
These laser projectors draw on scientific studies which show how odd a Parky persons' response to visual stimuli can be, but sometimes scientific methodology can turn up unexpected results if we look at a problem and reverse it or turn it on its head. These lasers are designed to help prevent FOG and improve our gait when we walk in the day but how about trying them overnight?
Many Parky people like me are awake for much of the night but with no medications in our systems it is even harder to get around. One of the questions on many Parkinson's questionnaires asks us whether we suffer with incontinence; I reply nearly as the old bladder is still okay at holding it in but are my legs and sense of balance good enough to risk an attempt to visit the toilet? When the answer is no it becomes a night of crossed legs and gritted teeth! Using Path Finder makes the trip from bedroom to bathroom a much steadier proposition and you can make interesting light displays when sitting by waving your feet around!! Joking aside, I can see the most valuable part of using Path Finder for me will be the overnight experience.
Just a thought: I sleep in a recliner chair so have the Path finder units on my feet ready to use when I wake up; if you sleep in a bed it would be necessary to put the units on when you get up. This could prove to be difficult as the rubber strapping is very tough and beyond the strength of a Parky person during an 'off' spell. A simple answer to this problem that I employ is to permanently fasten the units to a pair of shoes or trainers which can then be put on much more easily than struggling with the rubber straps.
Okay Parkinson's friends I hope my comments will have informed you as to the pros and cons associated with using the Path Finder devices – but the only way to be sure they will work for you is to try them out. In my own case I tried them and now I have purchased them because they work for me.
Good luck and keep well!
Lionel Paulo
]]>Although there is no cure for Parkinson’s and its symptoms cannot be fully eliminated, scientists found ways to limit some of the symptoms such as freezing of gait and shuffling. One of the most effective solutions to more confident gait are visual cues.
Sensory cues in Parkinson’s treatment are external signals which help people with diagnosis to initiate or continue movement. They can be visual, auditory or haptic. Visual cues are lines on the floor while auditory cues can be a beat or a rhythm. Haptic cues involve touching.
Researchers conducted several studies to compare and evaluate the most effective type of cueing. Results assessed the visual cues as the most effective to help with mobility issues for people living with Parkinson’s.
The principle of visual cues consist of lines on the floor. People often find it easier to climb the stairs or step over lines placed on the walking surface. The reason why visual cues work so well has not been discovered yet. However, multiple research studies and clinical testings proved its benefits.
Despite high effectiveness of visual cues in gait control, some people might respond to other cueing types better (auditory or haptic). Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease differ from one person to another, and so it is not possible to apply one approach to all of the patients affected by freezing of gait.
It is not an unknown method to place lines on the floor using coloured tape. If you place them in very specific areas where you experience freezing episodes, they might help. Such as narrow corridors and doorways.
The tape on the floor creates a line which serves as a visual cue. It guides people, who struggle to initiate walking, where to put their foot to gain better control over their gait. However, this method is limited to indoor use and premises which belong to the person who has Parkinson’s.
In 2019 Walk With Path applied for the SME Instrument Horizon 2020 funding, which is the biggest research and innovation programme in the EU. The SME instrument helps highly innovative SMEs who want to develop, grow and internationalise, but can't find financing on the market because of their high-risk character. It has a track record of supporting companies with breakthrough discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market. Walk With Path received funding to further develop Path Feel and finish the existing prototype, validate, certify and introduce it to the market. The first six months have been incredible and so much has happened.
One of the important things that the SME Instrument enabled us to do was to grow our team. We now have a strong team of engineers who are key in helping make the insole capable of measuring pressure and gait parameters. Some of the new additions to the team include: Hardware Engineer, Antoine Passelande, Electronic Engineer, Ignacio Escudero and Signal Processing Engineer, Ingvar Kircenko.
Having a strong engineering team has helped us to further develop and finalise the Path Feel prototype. We are now ready for the next step where we will be testing the Path Feel insole on people with diabetes. The study, which will focus on balance and gait improvement is conducted with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), led by Professor Neil Reeves.
The SME funding has also enabled members of the team to travel to key markets in order to network and establish ground for future commercialisation. In the beginning of 2020, Lise Pape and Nuala Burke went to Canada, Boston and New York. We lined up a range of meetings with stakeholders. In Boston, Walk With Path was taking part in the MassChallenge HealthTech event, which has since led to a lot of interesting and fruitful networking opportunities. One of the key advantages for Walk With Path, was the opportunity to partner with AARP, who have helped us with US market research for Path Feel, and enabled interviews with both healthcare professionals and diabetics in the US.
MassChallenge was founded in 2010 with a purpose to make it as easy as possible for entrepreneurs to launch and grow new ventures. With the SME funding, Walk With Path was able to participate in the programme taking place in the US along with 26 other selected startups.
MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators and the Boston and Rhode Island Awards is a culminating event to recognize the groundbreaking startups in the 2020 cohorts, convening a global community of innovation leaders. Not only were Walk With Path selected to participate in the world wide recognised programme, but as it turned out 6 months later the participation resulted in Walk With Path winning the Mass Challenge Diamond Award. Winning the Mass Challenge Diamond Award is a significant achievement and will help establish acknowledgement and recognition in the industry - and open doors especially in North America.
“MassChallenge is very recognised in the field and will open a lot of doors for us,” said Lise Pape, Director of Walk With Path; “Being part of the MassChallenge network will help us create awareness and leverage interest for Path Feel.”
During the next few months we are looking forward to conducting the clinical pilot study, finalising the protocol for the next phase, and keep creating awareness for our work.
]]>Walk With Path was selected as a Finalist in the EDF Pulse Awards. This gives us the opportunity to take part in Viva Technology in Paris in June, a major technology conference. There will further be on-going media posts about our work. We may need to get a French website soon!
The winners of the competition will be announced in September.
Walk With Path participated in the Cartier Women's Initiative Awards, which culminated in a one-week event held at INSEAD in Singapore. Here, I participated in workshops around leadership, effective communication, and an awards ceremony, where they winners were announced. Cartier created a video about each of the Finalists which can be viewed here.
Walk With Path participated in a competition organised by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) Brazil. Five of the most innovative companies from the UK, who offer healthcare-related solutions to improve the lives of people with disabilities were invited to go to Brazil during the 2016 Paralympics in Rio to take part in the Pitch at Paras competition. This involved a Dragons' Den style pitch to a selected audience of potential business partners, investors and decision-makers in the Brazilian healthcare market as well as Paralympic professionals, such as Team GB athletes Jody Cundy and Phil Hogg, who gave inspirational talks about their careers.
Walk With Path won the silver prize, which filled us with great pride given the incredibly high quality of presentations and innovations. Afterwards we were approached by Brazilian healthcare experts, such as a neurosurgeon and a movement disorder professional. The event culminated in a great networking session with a wide selection of both British and Brazilian healthcare players.The rest of my visit allowed me to explore business opportunities in Brazil, including tailored meetings with important business leaders. It was a fantastic trip and proved an important opportunity to profile Walk With Path.
]]>China is a fascinating ecosystem when it comes to the topic of manufacturing. Entire regions of this vast country dedicate themselves almost entirely to serving this type of industry. One such area is Shenzhen, which is known as the electronics/hardware capital of the world. The population of Shenzhen has grown from 30,000 to over 10 million in the last 30 years, with more than 6 of this 10 million being migrant factory workers that fill the manufacturing facilities during the week, and travel home on weekends.
The purpose of my visit in Shenzhen was to visit three of our suppliers and to inspect their facilities. Specifically, our aim in these visits was to build a relationship with our suppliers, and also to make sure their facilities and processes met our expectations. During some time off on the Sunday while I was there I visited the famous Huaqiangbei Area. This can only be described as the biggest toy store in the world for anyone who works with electronics. It’s possible to get a PCB manufactured, source all the components and have a pick and place machine populate the board, all in just a short few hours. This example is only one of the many facilities available in the area, and the ability to rapidly prototype like this is a very interesting proposition to start-ups, who have to work with limited R&D budgets and timeframes to survive in the long term.
]]>Once the visits in the Basque Country finished, we thought we would finally be leaving the bad weather behind. Much to our surprise though, we arrived in Madrid in the middle of a rain storm! Luckily for us, the meeting with neurologists from HM CINAC and Hospital La Moraleja - Sanitas, went much better than the weather. Both hospitals have Path Finder and will start using it with their patients.
In Madrid we also visited CEAPAT (The State Reference Centre for Personal Autonomy and Technical Aid). We were impressed with the permanent exhibition they have developed, housing different tech aids that exist for people with disabilities (from wheelchairs to smart facilities) and from now on, also Path Finder. Things will keep moving forward with CEAPAT, and I will attend the international week of CEAPAT to exhibit Path Finder later this month. Simon Banley, The British Ambassador to Spain and Andorra will be one of the speakers at the official opening.
Once all the meetings in Madrid were over, we went to Barcelona. In Barcelona, thanks to the help of the Catalan Parkinson Association, I presented Path Finder at the Riera Blanca Civic Center. The acceptance was extremely good, and a Parkinson's patient tried it, demonstrating to everyone the effect of the visual cues.
Whilst I presented, Lise went to meet with Dr. Àngels Bayés, a neurologist at Teknon Hospital, where we were able to start defining a framework for what looks to become a very exciting future collaboration.
We also had time for some "tapas" :)
]]>In late January, we were proud to become the runner-up of the Innovating for Ageing competition. The competition was held by International Longevity Centre, who identified solutions that address challenges faced by the ageing population, and we are happy to see our work being recognised among our peers.
We were excited to be acknowledged as a finalist for Techpreneurs Awards for Women 2019 at the House of Lords. The ceremony was a celebration of women in tech as well as their incredible and innovative products.
We are looking forward to the Giant Health Event on 1st and 2nd of December 2020 in London. Thousands of passionate innovators from around the world are showcasing leading health-tech products. We are excited to be a part of the inspiring and creative environment and to network with like minded entrepreneurs who are working on improving the health and well-being of people around the world.
]]>Path Finder is a shoe attachment that provides visual laser cues for patients suffering from Freezing of Gait (FoG), a symptom of Parkinson’s (PD) and other neurological disorders, severely impacting gait and quality of life. These visual laser cues are in the form of horizontal lines, prompting the individual to take steady steps with both feet, one after another. This hands-free device is meant for individuals with unsteady gait, and can be used to gain confidence, regain mobility, prevent falling and improve quality of life.
Lauren is a user with Parkinson’s who reached out to Walk With Path because she had experienced magnificent benefits of visual cues; “I have early onset Parkinson’s. I recently was going through the airport and walked on a moving sidewalk with lines. Never in the world would I have thought that, all of a sudden, I didn’t have to push myself to walk. I didn’t understand what was happening and started to giggle. I almost fell on my face when I stepped off. I want to feel that way again! There are no words. It made me cry and find you.” See the video with Lauren here.
Path Finder was developed with a user-centric mindset, taking into account individual suitability and needs. “The project should be an inspiration to all medical device companies because it puts the user at the centre of solution creation”, said Brian Firth from MIE Medical Research. Peter Schmidt, from the National Parkinson Foundation (USA), said “It's a great idea. Projected lines are a great aid, but up until now they've only been built into canes and walkers.”
Going forward, Path Finder’s efficacy in improving mobility and facilitating rehabilitation in the ageing population and people with other neurological disorders will continue to be studied. It is our hope that Path Finder will provide mobility to those who need it and help people gain confidence, prevent injuries, combat isolation, and facilitate people in a return to playing an active role in their community.
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