Wheels on your shoes that can STOP you falling over

Falls cause most of the hip fractures suffered by 100,000 people a year and over 65s who break a hip have a 20 per cent chance of dying within a year. If they survive, they have a 20 per cent chance of never regaining mobility.

Older people are prone to falls because, as the body ages, muscles become weaker

Older people are prone to falls because, as the body ages, muscles become weaker and less efficient at managing the small, unconscious adjustments needed to maintain balance.

Many frail and elderly people rely on walking sticks or aids, but some refuse to use them because they do not want to be labelled as old or infirm.

Shoes that discreetly prevent falls could be a solution.

To test the design, scientists at the Israeli firm B Shoe Technologies constructed a special platform that could move in all directions while volunteers stood on it.

Cameras tracked what happened when the floor moved and threw them slightly off balance.

The floor had built in sensors that recorded how weight shifted in the seconds before a fall. Scientists used that data to develop a microchip programmed to recognise the subtle changes in balance that suggested a person was about to take a tumble. ‘The sensors can detect that the centre of pressure is, for example, going too far back,’ he says.

‘If there is no reaction from the wearer for more than a few milliseconds, the shoes begin moving five to seven centimetres (under armour clutchfit drive 2 3in) until stability is regained.

‘People who tried it said they felt it was improving their balance, and it’s not a scary movement.’

The B Shoe is at the prototype stage and unlikely to be available for two years.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, says preventing falls later in life is vital.

‘They are often dismissed as an inevitable part of growing older but they can be prevented.

‘Keeping active and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important, as are regular foot checks and wearing the right shoes to protect and support the feet.’

Meanwhile, technology similar to that found in video games could help prevent falls among hospital patients.

Around 200,000 patients mostly elderly slip or trip in NHS hospitals in England each year, resulting in injuries that cost the NHS 2.3billion.

Researchers at the University of Missouri are exploring ‘motion capture’ technology as a means of detecting falls and understanding how they come about.

The system spreads a pattern of infrared light into a hospital room and makes a 3 D map showing everything in the room.

People are portrayed as 3 D silhouettes, protecting privacy. If it detects a person on the floor, it reviews the preceding events.

‘By seeing what happened before a fall, we can better understand what caused it,’ the study leader said. Daughter Khloe Kardashian is also seen looking very worried and supporting her mom near the driver\’s side of the car.