One of the challenges faced by people with Parkinson's disease is the possibility of freezing, which can cause falls and lack of mobility. It's surprising that small external cues can help them escape freezes or avoid them altogether, and De Oro has raised over two million dollars to make that happen.
The easiest way to understand freezing is that the normal pathway in the brain doesn't work. Slow or stopped movement can be caused by this, even though one is willing to move the way they normally do.
It has been found that cueing is an effective way to prevent this. A different pathway for walking forwards is activated when a person sees or hears a cue related to moving forwards.
Two such cues are provided by De Oro. The brain thinks about moving in time with it rather than going step by step. A laser-projected line just ahead of the user's feet seems to make them think of stepping over or past something.
TheNexStride can be attached to a walker or cane with a stretchy loop and a corded controller. The main unit has knobs on it that allow them to control things like the metronome and the laser line.
There are lots of studies about the effectiveness of this approach in the lab, and the company has found that a lot of its customers were able to get around more confidently. Clinicians recommend the device to their clients in order to improve mobility.
The device helped Walter and Richard get around on their own terms.
There are a few things like this, like the U-Step laser and walker. The U-step is built into the walker itself, and not something a person with mobility issues could throw in the trunk. There is a lot of old stuff in accessibility hardware.
TheNexStride is portable, self-contained, and can be attached to almost anything in a few minutes. De Oro founder and CEO Sidney Collin saidNexStride doesn't make people compromise on choosing between their favorite mobility aid and having access to these effective visual and auditory cues
Users and clinicians recommended manual operation over the automatic approach because it would turn on the laser or sound when the person stopped moving. People like to be in control, especially when it comes to medical issues.
The retail price is not yet covered by insurance. It is difficult to reconcile the sticker price with the design of the device, which does not seem very exotic or expensive.
The company said that it priced theNexStride to be competitive with the other options out there, which it excelled at, and that it kept manufacturing in the U.S., which adds to the costs.
Any veteran can get a freeNexStride from the VA, which is a vote of confidence from an institution that serves a lot of people who need it. Grants may be used to cover the full cost of the fund.
With an aging population that's healthy and mobile, devices like this may be escaping the likes of medical suppliers and becoming more of an ordinary consumer gadgets. Parkinson's can affect people before middle age, and demographic will be doing a lot of comparison shopping
The seed round was led by True WealthVentures with participation from StartUp Health, Capital Factory, Kachuwa Impact Fund, and Health. The company raised a lot of money before this.
There are many frontiers on which to found a startup, and a lot of less visible people and groups who stand to benefit from even ordinary-seeming advances in tech.
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