This personal airbag could help protect the elderly from hip injuries
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This personal airbag could help protect hip injuries. It's called the Hip'Air. The concept is being developed by Helite, a company that specializes in airbag protection. Here's how it can protect against injury.
The airbag uses an algorithm to determine when someone is falling. When a fall is detected, two airbags deploy over the hip. This way, the hip is protected. The system takes just 200 milliseconds to detect a fall. It uses sensors like gyroscopes and accelerometers. The sensors can tell if someone is walking normally or falling.
According to Helite, the Hip'Air reduces about 90% of the impact force. This could be particularly useful to the elderly. Over 300,000 people 65 and older get hospitalized for hip fractures per year. More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling. The belt comes in three sizes, depending on your waist size. The belt is turned on simply by closing the clasp. Hip'Air is reusable. If the bags deploy, you can repack them and change out the inflator. Hip'Air is currently being tested in nursing homes. The company has several other wearable airbags. They have created systems for skiing, equitation, and motorcycles.