SMILING PROJECT OBJECTIVES OF SMILING On the basis of this theory, SMILING will develop

d d t t k t t t f tMobility means freedom, flexibility andautonomy to all people, especially forolder ones. Developed countries arecharacterized by high mobility that plays avery important role in promoting healthy

i b t b bil d l

SMILING aims to develop innovative trainingprograms for elderly people with the objective ofimproving walking and balance, and to preventand counteract falling.The overall objectives are:- to develop and construct an advanced

an advanced next-to-market prototype of a systemto improve walking and the mobility of agingpopulation reducing risk of falling.The device will include three sub-components:- a wearable sub-system, embedded in the shoe(SMILING shoe) that will perform chaotic changesaging, because to be mobile can delay

disability and prevent frailty.Aging is characterized by functionalchanges in the sensory, neurological andmusculoskeletal systems, affecting motortasks including gait and postural balance.

pprototype of a wearable not-invasivecomputerized miniature system for mechanicalchaotic perturbations of gait pattern in order tocounteract and prevent tendencies to fall;- to develop perturbation algorithms fitted to suitindividual user’s specific needs;

( ) p gof shoe sole and heel heights or inclination indifferent directions to challenge the user with newground configurations;- a miniaturized sensor that will measurebiomechanical parameters enabling gaitmonitoring and accurate evaluation of the walkingg g p

Gait and balance disturbances in olderpeople are the main risk factor of falling.One third of people aged over 65 risksfalling or had a falling experience. Thesefalls cause physical injury, emotionaltrauma and mobility avoidance Beside

individual user s specific needs;- to implement a training system to be spread inrehabilitation, health care and fitness centres fora reorganization of the rehabilitation process inageing.The target of SMILING is represented by older

monitoring and accurate evaluation of the walkingrecovery process;- a control and processing unit for personalization,tuning and control of training programs, that willgather data coming from the sensor for dataprocessing and will include also an user interfacetrauma and mobility avoidance. Beside

severe social consequences, there aresignificant financial impacts on health caresystem.The European project SMILING plans todiminish age related impairments throughh i f f d d l

people who are at risk of falling or had a fallingexperience and need a rehabilitationprogramme. SMILING system will be designedto allow flexible use in clinical, rehabilitation,fitness environment and at home.Acceptance by the users reliability and ease of

to allow interactive and pro-active motor training.

the interference of decreased neuralplasticity that limits walking ability and bycontinuing these functional improvementsinto real life situations.The scientific basis of the design is basedon chaos theory and the theory of dynamic

Acceptance by the users, reliability and ease ofuse are mandatory specifications of the project.The device will be tested by older people in Italy,Israel, Slovakia, and Switzerland.The validation of the system will be strictlymonitored by clinical and rehabilitation

f i l d ill b f d di ty y ysystems, applied to the training ofrehabilitation in the older population. Theapproach is intended to challenge olderpeople to solve new motor problems in realtime by inducing changeable environmentsthat need active response and problem

professionals and will be performed according tothe national ethical rules.

that need active response and problemsolving.

Coordinator:

Dr. Fiorella Marcellini

Scientific AreaTheThe

SMILINGSMILING

I.N.R.C.A.

Via S. Margherita, 5

60124 Ancona

www.inrca.it

E-mail: f.marcellini@inrca.it

UKUK

ItalyItaly

SwitzerlandSwitzerland

The The NetherlandsNetherlands

SlovakiaSlovakia

SMILING CONSORTIUM

This multi-disciplinary Consortium,i l i d i ti t i fi ld

Self Mobility Improvement in theeLderly by counteractING falls

ItalyItaly

Participants

involves experienced scientists in fieldsof electronics, mechanical engineering,computer programming, rehabilitation,and geriatrics. Eleven Institutions andcompanies from 5 European countries(Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, The

FP7 ICT & Ageing- GA No. 215493

www.smilingproject.eu

Institution Country

INRCA - Istituto Nazionale Riposo Cura Anziani V.E.II (Coordinator) Italy

University of Strathclyde United Kingdom

( y, , g ,Netherlands, Slovakia) and Israelparticipate to the project.

,

Technical University of Kosice Slovakia

Step of Mind Israel

Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna Italy

7° Framework Programme (FP7)

Information & Communication Technologies

Stichting Imec-NL The Netherlands

Ab.Acus Italy

Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne SwitzerlandEuropean Commission

Centre Hospitalier Universitarie Vaudois Switzerland

Mishan Israel

Geriatric Center Kosice Slovakia

Elderlyexperts

Technology experts

Scientificexperts

ICT experts SMEs