SPRINT (Smart mobility devices with improved Patient pRosthesis INTeraction)

High standards of living have increased life expectancy. Elderly people often live active lives and want to live in their own houses for as long as possible. High healthcare standards are in demand. In the near future, a growing number of elderly people will put pressure on our healthcare system. How are we going to answer this demand for quality healthcare?

Smart devices
SPRINT stands for ‘Smart mobility devices with improved Patient pRosthesis INTeraction’. It is a collaboration involving 25 national partners. SPRINT wants to increase the mobility of the elderly by prevention, training and rehabilitation at home and by developing the next generation of intelligent mobility devices for the individual patient. This will facilitate the necessary shift from intra- to extramural care that can decrease healthcare costs and the number of workers. (Source: SPRINT, Plan for a Centre of Research Excellence, 2010)

INCAS³ and SPRINT
Sensors and sensor systems will become very important tools in increasing the quality of our healthcare system and keeping it affordable. Fields of interest include the shift from intra- to extramural healthcare, monitoring of patients, providing sensory input to medical devices and accident prevention. At the moment, INCAS³ is part of the SPRINT project that aims to reduce falls in elderly people by using sensor systems and serious games to train balance right in their home environment. INCAS³ is focusing on the development of a sensor system that monitors balance, provides input to the game and feedback to the user.

Partners
SPRINT is a collaboration involving 25 national partners: public and private research groups, healthcare institutions, large industries and SME’s. INCAS³ is currently working with the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) among others.

For more information about the SPRINT project, visit the website of Healthy Ageing Network Netherlands.
Also visit our publications on this Health & Sports subject.