Mobility assessment and follow-up in frail elderly : clinico technical validation of a smart insole in real life – RESPECT

The RESPECT project is aimed at validating an instrument for supporting physical activity and monitor multiple parameters of frailty (a pre-disability condition) in older persons. The device consists of a smart, removable, energetically autonomous insole. It measures dynamic characteristics of gait (e.g., speed, variability, walked distance) as well as body weight modifications with minimal invasiveness. The insole transmits wireless the collected data to a storage server through a smartphone or touchpad. Data will then be available for at distance consultations by users (i.e., patients or physicians) using an adapted interface. The proposed device can also send specific alerts based on predetermined algorithms. The object of the present project can efficiently promote the prevention of disability by providing 1) a feed-back and motivational coaching to the user (which will be empowered by our solution for its own health management), 2) relevant clinical parameters to the healthcare professionals in order to support the patient’s follow-up, and 3) supporting the detection of preliminary signs of functional loss (thus facilitating the adoption of prompt countermeasures). The present prototype proposed in RESPECT is the result of a relevant previous research activity by our group. In RESPECT, we will conduct a wide range of evaluations of the device (i.e., technical, clinical, social, ergonomic, and economic), which will allow the optimization of the prototype (also according to end user’s feedback) in order to lead to a rapid marketing of the smart insole. In other words, we here propose the development of a robust, simple, and market-appealing device aimed at improving the management of frail older persons. The increasing number of disabled elders and the growing costs of age-related conditions make the cost-effectiveness and market analyses for this kind of devices extremely important. It is noteworthy that the proposed smart insole may also be considered for different medical and extra-medical uses (e.g., sport, games, army, space…), thus increasing the potential interest for its future industrial development. This is an ambitious project for the proposed technological innovation, the end user-centered approach, and for its scope (i.e., promotion of disability prevention). We believe that several scientific, usability, and regulation barriers will likely be overcome by RESPECT. Specific contingency plans are also foreseen in order to successfully accomplish the project tasks. RESPECT is a 36 month-long project. The technical evaluation of the prototypes will preliminary takes place at the Blagnac smart house. 10 healthy volunteers will test the device. The final evaluation will involve 30 frail community-dwelling subjects which will use the smart insoles for 3 months. Comprehensive assessments will be conducted to highlight the feasibility, acceptability, interoperability, integration in healthcare network, and clinical relevance of the technological device in comparison to usual care. The consortium proposing the RESPECT project is composed by middle size enterprises (INTESENS, MEDICAPTEURS, ACTIA), a medical services provider (SADIR), and academic partners from technical, medical, and social sciences (LAAS-CNRS, CHU de Toulouse, Université Joseph Fourier de Grenoble). The heterogeneous and complementary team, which has already been working together on the topic for several years, will allow the needed multidimensional validation processes of the prototype.