INSPIRE: AI-based Smart Exoskeletons for Elder Mobility and Fall Prevention
Our Motivation
Each year, over 37 million seniors over the age of 65 suffer a fall, with slips being the most frequent cause. These events lead to injuries, reduced autonomy, disability, and even death. Beyond the physical consequences, falls result in diminished social engagement and lower quality of life. The economic burden is also significant, with fall-related costs potentially reaching 4% of European healthcare expenditures—and this figure is rising with the aging population.
While existing technologies focus on fall detection and alerts, few systems provide early warning and real-time intervention. There is an urgent need for intuitive, real-world solutions that anticipate falls and provide immediate, natural assistance—solutions that seamlessly integrate into seniors’ daily lives and environments.
Proposed Solution
INSPIRE is an innovative, multidisciplinary project aiming to prevent falls before they happen. It focuses on creating an intelligent, bio-inspired assistive system that enhances mobility and safety for elderly individuals in their everyday activities.
The project combines:
- AI-powered early warning systems tailored to Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- Advanced biomechanical modeling of human movement and response to slips
- A customized active hip-knee exoskeleton, adapted from a Gogoa device, to deliver real-time physical support when a fall is imminent
The result is a user-centered, intuitive system that blends natural movement with intelligent assistance—fostering trust and technology adoption among older users.
System Features and Innovations
INSPIRE integrates multiple cutting-edge components:
- Wearable sensors that gather physiological and motion data
- Real-time AI algorithms for predicting ADLs and early fall signs, using contextual data
- Novel control frameworks based on Central Pattern Generators (CPGs), Dynamical Movement Primitives (DMPs), and Reinforcement Learning (RL)
- User-centered exoskeleton adaptation, designed to intervene during slips with fast, smooth, and supportive movement
The system is engineered to:
- Detect slip indicators in under 90ms
- React with assistive action in less than 350ms
- Maintain low trajectory error and high comfort
- Reduce fall occurrence by at least 10%
Application Scenarios
INSPIRE is designed for real-world usage in:
- Nursing homes
- Home-based elderly care
- Rehabilitation centers
Its user-friendly and co-adaptive nature makes it ideal for continuous daily use in real-life settings, supporting seniors in maintaining independence and safety during daily routines.
Our Team
Nuno Ferrete Ribeiro – Postdoctoral Researcher and Principal Investigator (PI) [nuno.fribeiro@dei.uminho.pt]
Cristina P. Santos – BiRD Lab’s PI & Lecturer and Researcher at UMinho
Ana Rocha – Lecturer and Researcher at UMinho
Joana Figueiredo – Lecturer and Researcher at UMinho
Luís Martins – PhD Student at UMinho
Our Partners
Mondragon Unibertsitatea – Virginia R. Garate
Centro Social e Paroquial de Sobreposta (CSPS) – Daniela Oliveira
Funding and Support
This project is supported by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under the national support to R&D units through Grant 2023.13876.PEX, titled:
“Exoesqueletos Inteligentes baseados em IA para a Mobilidade dos Idosos e a Prevenção de Quedas” DOI: https://doi.org/10.54499/2023.13876.PEX
