SBIR, Augmented Reality Personalized Motion Tracking, Assessment, and Improvement Technology for Fall Prevention With Seniors Living in Subsidized Housing Using a Mobile Phone

More than 1 in 4 people 65 and older fall each year, leading to more than $50 billion in annual spending for treatment, and on an upward trajectory. Exercise programs are proven to reduce fall risk for older adults, by improving muscle strength, balance, and gait instabilities. Fall prevention programs are encouraged by the CDC, NIA, and many other organizations, and are often provided by community-based organizations and other institutions. While fall prevention programs are an effective intervention, the impact of current programs is mitigated by cost to administer, lack of scalability, inability to reach underserved populations, lack of encouragement of ongoing usage, and inability to track adherence and health outcomes in a systematic way. Older adults are typically unaware of proper exercise regimens for their specific needs. Currently, we believe no fall prevention programs -- either at community centers, other establishments, or at home -- are delivered nationally, affordably delivered, and efficiently administered to broad populations that achieve adherence with effective outcomes. KINIMA Inc., is a women-owned company incorporated in 2016 and incubated in Wharton’s Venture Initiative Program and Stanford University’s StartX and commercially offered. KINIMA Seniors latest offering is a ground-breaking, novel technology that uses computer vision, an innovative side-by-side view through augmented reality guidance with proprietary content, body joint tracking and artificial intelligence, plus multiple forms of feedback to provide a digital 2-way comprehensive fall prevention exercise platform.The proposed Phase I study seeks to determine the KINIMA Seniors At Home mobile phone platform’s feasibility, acceptability, and accuracy for fall prevention in housing complexes. Our AIMS are: 1) Design, modify and test KINIMA Seniors at Home version of the KINIMA App for individual home usage by building and incorporating new desired features (such as “1-click usage”, exercise personalization, modifying speed, capturing images, and added desired content); 2) Assess the ease of setup and navigation of KINIMA Seniors at Home; and 3) Assess the product for acceptability, likeability and understandability of the fall risk content and use of the assessment measures. These AIMS support the NIA’s mission and research priorities focused on helping senior adults age in place through the use of assistive devices and technologies. KINIMA Seniors At Home assistive mobile application will support older adults, caregivers, and therapists in mitigating age-related physical challenges, particularly in fall prevention. The data can be provided to participants and providers to see progress over time, and allow project overseers to assess effectiveness. KINIMA Seniors At Home has enormous commercial potential given the multiple use cases, and this Phase I study is a major milestone along that path to commercialization. Phase II will continue with assessing effectiveness of outcomes and positioning for independent use.