Freezing of gait (freezing) is a common issue in the daily lives of people with Parkinson's disease: while walking, your feet suddenly feel glued to the floor, leaving you unable to move for a few seconds. Freezing often occurs at home, for example, when people try to walk through a narrow passage or doorway, or when they need to turn suddenly. In this project, we aim to develop a computer model to recognize and predict freezing. We are also investigating whether vibrating socks can help prevent freezing. For this study, we are looking for people with Parkinson's disease who experience freezing in their daily lives.
What are we working on?
Repeated sounds or lines on the ground can help people experience less freezing. However, the solutions currently available don’t always work for everyone. For instance, they need to be active all day and are visible or audible to others.
In this project, we are developing a computer program that can predict when freezing will occur. At that moment, support tools are activated. To create this program, we are collecting data using wearable sensors in the E-Health House of the University of Twente.
We are also testing vibrating socks. These socks can vibrate quietly, alternating between left and right. This may help prevent freezing in daily life.
What do we ask of you?
We would like to ask you to come to the University of Twente once. The study takes place in the eHealth House, an apartment on the University of Twente campus with a kitchen, living room, and bedroom. You are welcome to bring someone to assist you.
The test takes one day (morning and afternoon) and includes several breaks. You will wear various sensors that measure your movements and stress levels. The study will also be recorded on video.
In the morning, we will ask you to perform some daily tasks. In the afternoon, you will walk a route through the house wearing vibrating socks.
At the end of the day, you will fill out a short questionnaire about the vibrating socks.
Who can participate and when?
- You have Parkinson’s disease.
- You experience freezing at least three times a day.
Not sure if you experience freezing? Watch this video for more insight.
Are you considering participating in this research, but have doubts about something? Feel free to sign up. Our contactperson will review with you whether you can participate and will answer all your questions.
Additional information
- Your travel expenses will be reimbursed, along with all food and drinks during the study. If you are traveling from far away and have a long journey, we can arrange a hotel stay for the night before the study so you can arrive on time.
- After the study, you will also receive a €20 gift card.
Contactperson
get to know the researchers
Researcher 'Vibrating Socks for Parkinson'
dr.ir. T. Heida (Ciska)
Associate Professor
My name is Ciska Heida, and I am an Associate Professor in the Biomedical Signals & Systems group. In my research, I aim to better understand how the human body controls movements, what goes wrong in movement disorders, and how we can use neuromodulation techniques—such as the vibrating socks we are studying in this project—to improve or restore movement control.
Researcher 'Vibrating Socks for Parkinson'
L.G. Centamore (Lorenzo)
PhD Candidate
Hi, I’m Lorenzo Giuseppe Centamore, a biomedical engineer and PhD candidate at the University of Twente. Under the supervision of Dr. Ir. Ciska Heida, I will be working on predicting FOG (Freezing of Gait) and testing vibrating socks. Our project is part of the Parkinson’s Vibrating Socks project, funded by INTERREG.
sign up
Thank you for your interest in signing up for the project 'Vibrating Socks for Parkinson's.' Please fill in your details below, and our contact person will reach out to you.
