New high-tech shoes and insoles(鞋垫) have been developed that can help elderly, sick and disabled people walk without fear of falling over.
Unveiled at the Wearable Technology Show in London on Tuesday, the Path Feel insoles and Path Finder shoes from U. K. startup Walk With Path provide tactile (触觉的) and visual feedback to assist walking.
“If you walk and you don’t have a good feeling of the ground, you’ve got to be very careful, you keep checking every step, you need to look at the ground and see how you put your leg on the ground,” Iddo Wald, a design engineer at Walk With Path, tells Newsweek. “Path gives the confidence needed to walk without falling.”
“We had a patient who suffers from a spinal cord injury and actually had no feeling of the ground at all but he could feel the vibration. It’s really exciting.” Pressure sensors in the Path Feel insoles provide tactile feedback that shakes the wearer’s feet and informs them when it is touching the ground.
The Path Finder shoes are designed specifically for Parkinson’s patients who can’t walk smoothly. Lasers projected out of the shoes in a green line aim to provide visual clues to help the sufferer focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
According to the National Parkinson Foundation, 38 percent of people with Parkinson’s suffer from falls each year, while Age UK estimates one-in-ten people over the age of 65 fall over. The hope is that both the insoles and the shoes can help bring those numbers down.
Both products are currently in the testing stage, with several London universities conducting trials. Early tests have seen some users improved their walking by over 50 percent.
1. How do the Path Feel insoles work?| A．By shaking the wearer’s feet. | B．By giving the wearer sound clues. |
| C．By recording the wearer’s data. | D．By counting the wearer’s steps. |
| A．Pain. | B．Shake. | C．Kick. | D．Warmth. |
| A．They are popular among the elderly. |
| B．They are being further tested. |
| C．They will replace normal shoes. |
| D．They can monitor the wearer’s health. |
| A．Smart Shoes Have Huge Market Prospects |
| B．Smart Shoes Help Treat Parkinson’s Disease |
| C．Smart Shoes Make Walking More Comfortable |
| D．Smart Shoes Help the Elderly, Sick and Disabled Walk |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The beginning of the 21st century saw a revolution in home living with new technology changing the places where we live, from the internet to flat TV screens, and it seems technology could be changing our homes again. A project conducted by Johann Siau, Senior Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Engineering and Technology, has built on the university’s InterHome project – aiming to create a home that supervises people living at home who are weak or elderly.
The interhome
“We’ve developed a wristband type device,” said Johann Siau, “which allows us to monitor the condition of an elderly person, or whoever is wearing the device. It allows us to collect data of a person, to see if the person has fallen or is away from where they are supposed to be. It connects an elderly person with an assisted living type device with the InterHome.” The assisted living project is part of the university’s wider InterHome project, which is the development of a smart house. The house stores the usage patterns of the person living there and can adapt to make it use as little energy as possible. “Connecting the two together and building the service element allow us to introduce the assisted-living idea to care for the elderly. It’s very important that these technologies are there to help and support rather than to replace any of the existing services.”
Built from zero
The InterHome is not just a prototype or a vehicle for research, it’s a study tool to help students from different scientific backgrounds learn about and develop technology. The InterHome combines the latest broadband technology, mobile data and communication. Researchers and students make sure all the technology works together. Students get experience by developing new hardware and software themselves. It requires a variety of skills from students – electronic engineers, computer students, design students and so on. “The present plan we are working on is a smart home project in Watford with some commercial companies,” said Johann Siau. “We are looking at how a smarter home can provide extra value services.”
1. The main purpose of this article is to______.| A．introduce a new kind of technology to help people enjoy a better life |
| B．describe a new platform for students to develop new technology |
| C．show how future buildings will change elderly people’s way of life |
| D．describe a new project that aims to develop a smart home for elderly |
| A．Watches over |
| B．gives support to |
| C．directs |
| D．comforts |
| A．does all the work the existing services do |
| B．aims to provide better care and services for the elder |
| C．develop houses that mainly aim to save energy |
| D．calls for students to care for old people |
【推荐2】When water is cold, people will find it uncomfortable to swim. Wetsuits(潜水服）can help keep people warm.
The wetsuit doesn't have a long history. According to studies, the wetsuit only began during WWII when Italians started wearing wetsuits that were made of rubber. And it was widely believed in 1951, Hugh Bradner began working to improve the equipment.
Now there are many kinds of wetsuits. Contrary to what some may think, wetsuits do not work by keeping the diver(潜水员）dry; they are designed to let water into the suit. This thin layer of water is trapped（保存）between the diver and the suit. And it's allowed to move between the skin of the diver and the inside layer.
Wetsuits can also differ in thickness. They range from about 0. 5mm to 8mm in thickness. It's true that thicker wetsuits are more likely to affect your movement.
| A．But they're much better at giving you warmth. |
| B．As for the difference, wetsuits can differ in size. |
| C．The history of the wetsuit is an interesting story. |
| D．This led to the development of a kind of new wetsuit. |
| E．Many wetsuits are very light and easy to wear and take off. |
| F．As a result, the water gradually warms up to body temperature. |
| G．And they can provide protection from the sun and cuts from rocks. |
【推荐3】Most autonomous vehicles test-driving in cities navigate (导航) by using 3-D maps marking every edge of roadside with almost centimeter-level accuracy. But few places have been mapped in such detail, which has left most areas like smaller towns inaccessible to those driverless cars.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) now have developed a new navigation system that guides autonomous vehicles without such accurate maps. This technology can help driverless cars travel almost anywhere.
The navigation system maps out a course down unfamiliar roads much as a human driver would by continually scanning its surroundings, with a laser sensor (激光感应器), to measure how close it is to the edges of the road. Meanwhile, the car also follows a tool like a smart phone map app that provides directions to its destination, as well as information about the rules of the road, such as speed limits and the positions of stoplights. Teddy Ort, a roboticist at MIT, test-drove a car equipped with this navigation system on a one-way road. It slowly traveled one kilometer without any human assistance.
This system assumes that a car has a clear path down the road, but it can be paired with other existing computing technology to discover in-road obstacles (障碍), says Ort. The researchers also plan to build a version of this system which can spot markings painted on streets, so that the car can drive on two-way roads. "Self-driving cars with this navigation system may need other sensors to work in different conditions,” Alexander Wyglinski, and electrical engineer at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. "Since laser sensors don’t work well in rain or snow, these cars might need additional imaging technologies to drive safely in bad weather. "
1. What may be a problem for most driverless cars?| A．They fail in test-driving. |
| B．Their maps are out-dated. |
| C．They run in limited areas. |
| D．Their guides are unreliable. |
| A．It includes accurate maps. |
| B．It removes in-road obstacles. |
| C．It works by detecting the road. |
| D．It features a smart phone app. |
| A．To confirm the test-drive results. |
| B．To indicate further research areas. |
| C．To recognize scientists’ achievements. |
| D．To show the creativity of driverless cars. |
| A．Autonomous cars beat human drivers on country roads. |
| B．Navigating self-driving cars may work in different conditions. |
| C．Smart mapping technology adds to the functions of self-driving cars. |
| D．A new navigation system helps autonomous cars drive remote roads. |
【推荐1】Have you ever wondered why you might be a little taller than your friends or family? Well, scientists believe the mystery of why humans are growing taller and reaching puberty(青春期)earlier is due to something in the brain.
We already know that better nutrition leads to greater height as humans have been growing taller on the whole in recent centuries. Better nutrition also causes people to reach maturity (成 熟)faster. Genes also play a role in how tall we become and we all grow and look according to the codes in our DNA. A lack of nutrition makes it harder for us to reach the full potential of our own genes.
According to the University of Maryland, our body requires a certain amount of energy to make us grow. But a new study suggests that a brain receptor (感受器)could be responsible for our growth. The study showed that the brain receptor MC3R is responsible for signals from food reaching a part of the brain called the hypothalamus(下丘脑).The hypothalamus is responsible for keeping things in check like body temperature and adjusting appetite and weight.
MC3R’s not working properly tends to mean that people are shorter and start puberty much later. Professor Sir Stephen O’ Rahilly, one of the authors of the study, said, “lt tells the body we’re great here and that we’ve got lots of food, so grow quickly and have puberty soon.”
There is a lot about the brain we still don’t know. But this research could lead to further development of drugs for children with delayed growth and puberty starting much later. More understanding of the receptor won’t mean that we can make ourselves taller. That all still depends on genes, but it could help people with chronic (慢性的)illnesses who need to build up muscle.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．Genes lead to faster maturity. |
| B．Nutrition determines a person’s height. |
| C．Better nutrition is important to growing taller. |
| D．Bad nutrition will change a person’s genes. |
| A．By taking in a large amount of nutrition itself. |
| B．By having us check body temperatures regularly. |
| C．By sending signals to inspire us to have more nutrition. |
| D．By helping us control our appetite to lose weight. |
| A．find ways to put off kid’s puberty |
| B．treat patients with chronic illness |
| C．find scientific exercise to get our muscle stronger |
| D．develop medicine for kids with delayed growth |
| A．Why Are Some People Shorter? Genes Are to Blame |
| B．Why Are Some People Shorter? Nutrition Is to Blame |
| C．Why Are Some People Taller? The Key Is in Our Appetite |
| D．Why Are Some People Taller? The Key Is in Our Brains |
【推荐2】Microplastic pollution is increasing dramatically around the globe, according to a study of airborne (空气传播的) plastic particles(粒子).
People are already known to breathe, drink and eat microplastics, and research suggests that pollution levels will continue to rise rapidly. The researchers said that inhaling (吸入) these particles can irritate (刺激) lung tissue and lead to serious diseases.
Professor Natalie Mahowald, at Cornell University in the US and part of the research team, said: “But maybe we could solve this before it becomes a huge problem, if we manage our plastics better, before they accumulate (积聚) in the environment and swirl (打旋) around everywhere.”
The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined airborne microplastics, which have been far less studied than plastic in oceans and rivers.
The team gathered more than 300 samples of airborne microplastics from 11 sites across the western US. These were the basis for atmospheric modeling that estimated the contribution from different sources, and was the first such study to do so.
They found that roads were the dominant factor in the western US, linked to about 85 percent of the microplastics in the air. These are likely to include particles from tires and brake pads on vehicles, and plastics from litter that had been broken down.
The researchers extended their modeling work to a global level and this suggested that while roads are also likely to be the dominant driver of airborne plastics in Europe, South America and Australia, plastic particles blown up from fields may be a much bigger factor in Africa and Asia.
Professor Andreas Stohl of the University of Vienna’s Faculty of Earth Sciences, and not part of the study team, said: “The study confirms the global-scale nature of microplastic transport in the atmosphere and does a good job in highlighting highly relevant and concerning possibilities, but more measurement data is needed to get a better idea of the sources.”
1. What do we know about microplastic pollution from the text?| A．It has become the most pressing environmental problem. |
| B．The particles can do great harm to our lungs. |
| C．Airborne microplastics have been widely studied. |
| D．There is more plastic in the air than in oceans. |
| A．Its impact varies on different continents. |
| B．Public transportation is largely to blame for it. |
| C．Its dominant driver differs across continents. |
| D．Africa is suffering the most from the pollution. |
| A．predict the potential damages of microplastics. |
| B．understand the nature of airborne plastic pollution globally. |
| C．get more data to understand the sources of microplastics. |
| D．improve the method of collecting samples of microplastics. |
| A．Effects of microplastics on human health | B．Plastic pollution rising rapidly in the air |
| C．Possible solutions to plastic pollution | D．Plastic pollution on the global scale |
【推荐3】The great outdoors: it’s the place to head for when you' re in need of peace and quiet, open spaces, beautiful scenery and exercise. Whether a huge mountain range or a local country park, these natural areas are perfect for us to refresh from our stressed-out lives, and their therapeutic effect is being used more and more to treat mental health.
As an example, in the foothills of the Snowdonia National Park in the UK, specialist therapy sessions are held to help people who suffer from depression, anxiety and stress. Outdoor art-related activities are held for patients, but the setting alone has been credited with improving the mood of patients. Art psychotherapist Pamela Stanley told the BBC that there was a “growing body of evidence” to support eco-therapy.
It’s true that for most of us connecting with the natural world definitely lifts our spirits. But the mental health charity Mind says eco-therapy has been recognized as a formal type of treatment that can sometimes be prescribed to someone by a doctor. It doesn’t involve taking medication, but instead it just develops a person’s relationship with nature. This natural remedy can take on many forms, including doing yoga in a forest, gardening or even hugging a tree.
Evidence has shown there are many benefits of this “green” therapy, including improving social contact, social and work skills and coping abilities. It’s what Dr. Rachel Bragg from the University of Essex calls “psychological restoration”. She told the BBC’s All in the Mind programme that nature-based therapies should be part of a “toolkit” of care for patients.
Of course, eco-therapy won’t cure everything, but it is an option for therapists to use. And as we become more aware of the causes and effects of mental health, it’s good to know that help might lie outside our towns and cities, and that nature can give us a helping hand.
1. In what way does nature work in the therapeutic effect?| A．It helps people get much relieved. | B．It helps people do bodybuilding. |
| C．It is doctorl’s preference for treatments. | D．It can help us fully recover from the illness. |
| A．Option. | B．Contact. | C．Treatment. | D．Effect. |
| A．Tending a garden. | B．Taking medicine. |
| C．Meditating at home. | D．Gathering with friends. |
| A．Unwilling. | B．Negative. | C．Neutral. | D．Positive. |
