Falls are the leading cause of death for older adults and the second leading cause of occupational-related deaths. Injuries such as hip fractures, which are common after a fall, can dramatically alter the lives of the elderly. Moreover, nearly half of patients who suffer hip fractures are unable to return to living independently.
Mechanical engineers at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an assistive shoe grip that is inspired by nature and applies kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting.
鈥淥ur shoe grip is inspired by the dynamic nature of gripping systems found in nature, such as claws or scales, which are used to modulate friction for animals,鈥� says Giovanni Traverso, an Assistant Professor in MIT鈥檚 Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. 鈥淲e also applied kirigami to material surfaces to generate a dynamic system that produces friction modulation.鈥�
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