VertiWalk
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
Category
Project Description
Staircases become major bottlenecks in the homes of our ageing European population, requiring heavy and dangerous effort.
With VertiWalk, even severe MS patients can use their own body to move themselves vertically in their homes:
VertiWalk provides independent mobility and access, light, safe and healthy exercise and a sense of achievement.
VertiWalk does not need any power, is fully circular, is simpler to produce than (stair)lifts and easy to install in most European housing stock.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
VertiWalk is the result of a self-initiated and funded project.
Over the past years close ones, including my dad, got health problems which made taking stairs difficult.
Neither of them wanted to relocate: they all lived in places with neighbors and friends who took care of them.
Two of them agreed to install a 'stairlift': one stopped using it, the other felt that using it deteriorated his health. All the others refused a stairlift.
Their illnesses already im-mobilised them and they still wanted to move as much as possible, and not become totally dependent.
It inspired me to start an explorative project to find an alternative, as I found millions of Europeans will experience the staircase as a bottleneck while ageing.
While stairs are easy to build, they require a peak activity for the body with extreme muscle activity and tensions in joints.
Instead I started with the body, and the abilities of these people, and find a harmonious movement they could still make - and develop a system to support this.
I got Physical Therapists, Ergonomists, Biomechanical Scientists and, Architects as well as Choreographers and Dancers to participate.
Together we did many experiments, resulting in a very light, rowing-like movement we call Vertical Walking and a very simple, human-powered system we called VertiWalk.
It proved a great succes: it was tested by academics and medics with dozens of patients suffering from arthritis to MS and from prosthetics to Parkinsons.
Various systems have since been installed in houses by means of pilots, all empowering people to live independently at home while generating great pleasure and health with users.
My ambition, with enthusiast (potential) users and experts is to develop the system into a very cost-effective building kit that can help elderly to continue to live at home in a healthy way.
A potential prize will be used for thiI
Key objectives for sustainability
Currently, when people get problems with the staircase in their homes, for instance because they get older, they are expected to either move home, or install a stairlift.
Moving home increasingly becomes problematic as housing markets in many parts of Europe are under immense pressure:
There are simply not enough bungalows or apartments for seniors, let alone that they are in the vicinity, so that their families and social circles can still take care of them:
This is not a sustainable solution and hence governments in many European countries have policies to promote the timely adaption of homes.
Installing a stairlift however, is often seen as a negative 'must do' and 'least bad' decision that is postponed until absolutely necessary, creating risks of stair accidents in the mean time.
Expensive and stigmatising, the stairlift also blocks access for a partner or caregivers and is its usability is limited by the transfer into the chair above steep stairs.
In addition does the stairlift take away important exercise which often negatively impacts health. After use they are often discarded as they are made for the site. This is not sustainable.
VertiWalk instead provides a sustainable alternative:
It allows people to live independently at home, by making the best out of their abilities. It challenges them to keep exercising, yet in a very light and safe manner.
This contributes to the health and self-esteem of people, while at the same time making it attractive to install the system already long before it is absolutely necessary, reducing stair fall risks.
The system is completely human powered and works independent from the electrical grid.
VertiWalk moreover is a circular one-size-fits all system that can very easily be integrated in most European housing stock, and be easily de-installed and 100% re-used elsewhere.
Only 80x80cm footprint is required, which can often be easily found as senior often live in family houses with plenty space.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
In this project the aim was to find a solution which would create an aesthetic and pleasurable experience.
The many senior citizens involved reported that their (expected) experience of using a stairlift was so humiliating, that they wanted to refrain from this and rather take the risk of stair accidents.
They did not want to become dependent on something that would ignore the capacities their bodies still had, reducing it to pushing a button, and found it a stigmatising solution.
Neither did they want to move home.
Instead, with VertiWalk we provide an experience that takes the best out of the bodies of people - and safeguard that they keep using what they can, so that they do not loose it.
The ability to still move yourself, at a moment in life when movement gets more restricted, is highly valued.
This leads to a sense of achievement and satisfaction, and many people use their systems more than needed, just because it is 'so pleasurable'.
It is also therefore that VertiWalk, with its wooden elements, looks rather like furniture of sports equipment than aid.
On a more abstract level, my belief as a designer and engineer is that we are still living in an extremely rationalist age.
Most of our technological development is focussing on 'technology of the mind' : computers, AI, VR, AR, mobile, IoT.
But I feel that there is also a great wealth of intelligence, capability and quality in our bodies which we tend to ignore.
It is my mission bring back the significance of our bodies and use the body to make solutions wherever we can.
VertiWalk is one example.
Key objectives for inclusion
Obviously the main objective of this project was to allow people, who could normally not use the staircase any more, still use their own bodies to move vertically in their homes.
With VertiWalk, we managed to find this system technically.
In various academic studies (see below) it was also proven that the system would be usable by over 90% of the people who could not use stairs, but still walk.
Most importantly have we proven the objective through various pilot very successfull installations of the system in homes.
At the same time has it also been very interesting to observe the interest from people who had no difficulties with stairs:
In the case of our pilot user Jannie, for instance, do her grandchildren also use the system and find it 'extremely fun'.
In demonstrations such at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the system became a big attraction for visitors - being both intellectually interesting as well as physically pleasurable.
VertiWalk does not only solve a need for them who have difficulty taking stairs, but also proves to be beneficial and attractive for those young and fit:
The system adapts in speed to the ability of the user.
VertiWalk creates a 'level playground' that is inclusive at heart.
Results in relation to category
On a quantitative level, academic institutions have carried out experiments on VertiWalk prototypes.
EMG measurements showed that the peak muscle activity is only 12-17% by using VertiWalk compared to taking stairs.
It also showed that the moments on joints like ankle, knee and hip are considerably lower compared taking stairs (only 10-20%).
On the basis of these figures and in combination with existing research, it is estimated that over 90% of the population who is able to walk, but not take stairs, can use the VertiWalk.
At the same time did movement studies also show a larger range of motion compared to stairs:
While (stair) walking only requires the hip, knee and ankle to flex a little bit, Vertical Walking seduces people to flex and stretch those joints entirely.
This is expected to have a very positive effect on agility as well as the bone conditions - which will be researched further in a follow-up study.
As one researcher put it: "It is remarkable that with VertiWalk, a senior gets to make a full squat, like in the gym, with the same, important, motion range, but with much less strength needed".
More important perhaps are the qualitative results of the pilot installations:
Without exception, in all of these cases seniors use the systems daily for 6 months up to 2.5 year and so through VertiWalk they are empowered to live independently at home.
They report a great sense of joy, as expressed through e.g. through regular text messages.
In one pilot a user also used a stairlift (to the first floor), but stopped using this independently as she found it 'too scary to get into above the stairs'.
However, she still uses the VertiWalk independently (from the first to the second floor). Carers also prefer the VertiWalk as it avoids blocking the stairs.
Two other users reported an improvement in lifestyle: they felt healthier and felt more appetite for being venturous.
See also the video on www.vertiwalk.com
How Citizens benefit
The project started on the basis of needs of citizens who had trouble living at home independently, as they got increasing difficulties taking the stairs in their homes.
They, as well as various professionals, including professors in biomechanic and revalidation, physical therapists, urban planners, architects, and even choreographers have been involved since.
Together we co-created prototypes and tested these and came up with improvements which we executed.
The final outcome of 'VertiWalk' lead to prototypes that were integrated into the homes of a few citizens who could hardly take the staircase any more, by means of pilot projects.
Jannie Uitterlinden is one of these citizens and a video best describes how she was affected by the project:
It can be seen on www.vertiwalk.com
In short; Jannie suffers from progressive MS and could no longer live independently at home as she could not take the stair independently.
The VertiWalk not only gave her back her independence, but moreover a 'sense of movement' which she so deerly missed in her life.
Weekly, even sometimes daily, she send text messages expressing her love and gratitude for the system, as well as sending through suggestions for improvements, which we made.
Jannie is just one of the people who was directly benefited from (a pilot of) the project: other cases lead to similar interactions and results.
Next to this, the project inspired thousands of others to contact us (see below) as they see VertiWalk as a very hopeful solution in their everyday.
Innovative character
Apart from the relative novelty of putting assistive technology in the environment, rather than with the user, VertiWalk re-frames the paradigm by which we traditionally address problems.
Traditionally we often develop technologies in order to replace human action, especially when humans become unable to do the task.
So, for instance, when older people have problems walking stairs, we remove this task and automate it entirely.
We reduce their 'being' to pushing a button and ignore their bodies, and the abilities they still have, completely.
This often leads to a downward spiral - as 'if you don't use it, you loose it':
The Physical Therapists involved in the project all observed that as soon as people get a stairlift and do not take stairs any more, their health starts to decline.
In my eyes the paradigm, in which we systematically ignore the body, is the result of the Carthesian divide:
Technological development is mainly focussed on 'rational' technologies (internet, data, IT) the past few decades but we have almost forgotten about the qualities of the body and embodiment.
Instead with VertiWalk, we promote a paradigm whereby we use technology to empower people to take the best out of of people - and out of the body.
By creating an environment which stimulates people to keep using their capacities, we create health, pleasure and remarkable simplicity of the solutions.
We believe that this paradigm, of seducing people to make more use of the forgotten abilities of their bodies, can also be very fruitful in various situations:
Next to VertiWalk we have also shown this projects such as the Station of Being.
