Comparing every disabled senior who uses a walker to your mom’s exact disability level is like saying no one else needs glasses because I can see fine. If it was not for “youngish engineering students with a bright ideas”, you would not have been able to make your comment and email it to this article. You remind me of Dana Carvey’s charachter – The grumpy old man. Learn to embrace new technology.”

When you actually start CARING for an elderly, disabled person who grew up in the 1920′s, on limited income, with caregivers on limited income, come back and I’ll discuss it further.
As I said: “real-life” experience.
Engineers come up with these great ideas, get a grant proposal going, test a prototype out on a few elderly, yell EUREKA! WE’VE SOLVED ANOTHER PROBLEM! And then they turn to the next great thing.
I’m on a limited income, driving a 21 year old Volvo full of little computer boards. Half of these things flash error messages at me all the time. One of them is the speedometer, which in 1991 was engineered on a computer board and replaced a $3 cable. NOW it will cost $120 just for the board, plus the labor to jerk out the dashboard to get at it.
Tell ME how that makes life better.
And I’m a retired Computer Consultant.
Computer/Digital/ crap does not ALWAYS make life better. Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD do something.
I am NOT a Luddite by any means. I keep abreast of a lot of technology that DOES make my life richer and better. But I still make BBQ with wood, and maintain temperatures in the firebox by feel and experience. I have used digital thermometers, but then abandoned them because they actually removed a certain quality experience in my life. KISS!!!

Comparing every disabled senior who uses a walker to your mom’s exact disability level is like saying no one else needs glasses because I can see fine. If it was not for “youngish engineering students with a bright ideas”, you would not have been able to make your comment and email it to this article. You remind me of Dana Carvey’s charachter – The grumpy old man. Learn to embrace new technology.

So, now they want to add a computer chip braking system to a mechanical walker which is designed to prevent falls in the first place?? And who is going to replace the batteries or plug it in every night?

Next they’ll come up with computer controlled, electronic devices to change the adult diapers!!

I have a 93 yr old mother 3 blocks away in a nursing home that has low-strength hands and has a walker that she has been using for the past 3 years. She has never fallen once since starting to use this walker, and even with low-strength in her hands, she has no problem applying or locking the brakes.
WHO did you test this device with??? Or is it just a bunch of youngish engineering students with a bright idea and no real-life experience???