Development of a walking aid with remote electrocardiogram measurement and global positioning system function

The aging population has become one of the major issues in the world and in Taiwan. Among many aging diseases, heart disease and dementia are the main problems that affect the daily lives of the elderly and their family members. In this study, we have developed a smart walking aid with remote electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement and global positioning system (GPS) functions. The hardware of the walking aid consists of a brass column sensor with a self-developed ECG sensing circuit, a location module comprising a GPS and antenna, and a wireless transmission module with a microprocessor control unit and a Wi-Fi module. The software includes two parts: a self-developed ECG program for identifying arrhythmia with a human-machine interface to display the results and a self-developed location program integrated with Google Maps. The smart walking aid we have developed in this study was aiming to help family members or medical staff to monitor the physical conditions of their elderly family or patients who suffer from heart disease or dementia and identify their location when they experience disorientation.