Wireless sensor system tests for falls risk

Called QTUG (Quantitative Timed Up and Go), the system uses small wireless sensors that are strapped to a person's legs. Using Bluetooth technology, these sensors transmit to a touchscreen tablet computer walking data including speed and shifts in weight and can therefore provide a quantitative assessment of mobility and falls risk.

Such data also are compared with a reference population based on age and gender and stored so that any deterioration of a person's gait or balance over time can be noted.