StairLab
StairLab helps scientists improve independence and prevent injury through gait and balance research in aging and disability, resulting in more informed clinical recommendations, better building codes and enhanced safety standards.
StairLab allows scientists to study and precisely measure how the human body moves and interacts with environments, such as stairs, ramps, and bathrooms. Researchers study walking and other locomotor mechanics under normal circumstances and in response to a balance challenge in the various environments. This helps scientists to understand why and how people fall — a leading cause of injury and hospitalization particularly among seniors - and how falls can be prevented. Research has led to the development of better designed handrails, updated building codes for stairs and new mobility devices. A large research emphasis is placed on developing evidence for improved building codes and environmental design standards to increase safety and usability of stairs, handrails, grab bars and bathrooms.
Equipment Highlights
StairLab is a modular research space with 5.5m x 5.2m x 3.8m interior dimensions. The lab can be outfitted with varied building elements and equipment; most notably, a force plate instrumented 8 step staircase with a 7 by 11 inch rise and run. The stairs can also be removed, revealing a floor with a grid pattern of attachment points thereby allowing any environment to be securely constructed inside this space. Other available lab features include a treadmill, force plate instrumented walkway and ramp, and bathroom. The lab has a motion tracking system and video capture for biomechanical studies that can track participants and objects. A robotic safety harness allows participants to move safely through the outfitted lab, while researchers present different challenges, such as a soapy bathtub or a sudden shake to disturb balance. The robotic harness can be programmed to provide varying amounts of body weight support to assist the occupant if needed, such as if a fall is detected.
Quick Facts
- In Canada, the combined social and health care costs of falls have been estimated at $8.8 billion a year.
- Between 1997 and 2009, hospitalized injuries on home stairs increased at a rate of 6 per cent every year in the US. In Canada it is estimated that 3,800 people are hospitalized in Ontario each year as a result of a stair fall.
Recent Publications
- Rand, M., Pelchat, J., Levine, I. C., Montgomery, R. E., Greene, R. M., King, E. C., ... & Novak, A. C. (2024). Efficacy of Installation of Temporary Bathing Transfer Aids by Older Adults. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 10, 23337214241237119.
- Gosine, P., Komisar, V., & Novak, A. C. (2024). The effect of handrail cross-sectional design and age on the speed and quality of reach-to-grasp reactions to recover balance. Human factors, 66(1), 56-70.
- Collins, M., Levine, I. C., Gosine, P. C., Montgomery, R. E., Nirmalanathan, K., & Novak, A. C. (2024). A comparison of minimum segment models for the estimation of centre of mass position and velocity for slip recovery during a bathtub transfer task. Gait & Posture, 109, 153-157.
- Greene, R., Levine, I. C., Guay, M., & Novak, A. C. (2023). Biomechanical Demands and User Preference Associated with Wall-Mounted and Rim-Mounted Grab Bars. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 00084174231186066.
- Levine, I. C., Montgomery, R. E., & Novak, A. C. (2023). Grab bar use influences fall hazard during bathtub exit. Human factors, 65(8), 1821-1829.
- Komisar, V., & Novak, A. C. (2023). Effect of handrail height and age on trunk and shoulder kinematics following perturbation-evoked grasping reactions during gait. Human factors, 65(2), 200-211.
- Gabriel, G. A., Harris, L. R., Henriques, D. Y. P., Pandi, M., & Campos, J. L. (2022). Multisensory visual-vestibular training improves visual heading estimation in younger and older adults. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Neurocognitive Aging and Behavior, 14.
- Gabriel, G. A., Harris, L. R., Gnanasegaram, J. J., Cushing, S. L., Gordon, K. A., Haycock, B. C., & Campos, J. L. (2022). Age-related changes to vestibular heave and pitch perception and associations with postural control. Scientific Reports, 12(1), Article 1.
- Nestico, J., Novak, A., Perry, S.D., Mansfield, A. (2021). Does increased gait variability improve stability when faced with an expected perturbation during treadmill walking? Gait Posture. 86:94-100
- Gosine P, Komisar V, Novak AC. (2020). A kinematic analysis of balance recovery following an unexpected forward balance loss during stair descent. Applied Ergonomics. 92: doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103317.
- King, E.C., Weiss, B.M., Boscart, V.M., Dutta, T., Callaghan, J.P., Fernie, G.R. (2020). Bathing frail seniors at home: Home care providers’ approaches. Work. 10:1-20.
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