Grandma, let's running: we got you wearables!

The ability to move during everyday life is not a banality when motor coordination is impaired. In the elderly and in patients affected by neurological disorders or by orthopaedic conditions, motor skills commonly degenerate. Yet, pharmacological treatments are often either unavailable or of limited effect and physical rehabilitation through exercise is the only viable solution to improve quality of life. Since 10 years, our group is developing evidence-based strategies to improve mobility. One of the approaches we use is centred on the concept of muscle synergies, a theory stating that the central nervous system might simplify movement control by activating muscles in groups rather than individually. We propose to apply muscle synergies to a wearable-based device, with the aim of giving simple online feedback on motor control patterns to the people in need, improving their motor coordination and possibly reducing the risk of falling.