The Floor in Motion system, created by Tarkett, uses floor panels that are able to detect falls and other activity in a room. The design team from D.School Paris and the Kyoto Institute of Technology was challenged to integrate the Floor in Motion into places that need it the most: hospitals and nursing homes.

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Tarkett decided that the elderly and those who take care of them would benefit most from their motion sensor flooring. As people age and their health declines, so too does their ability to recover from falls (no matter their cause). With an alert to any falls, medical staff and caretakers have the ability to react in a more timely manner to prevent worse injury-or even death-to the elderly.

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The team came up with a way to use tablets on mobile caretaker’s carts connected to the Floor in Motion system to help the monitoring of patients.  They set up a pilot usage in a nursing home to help caretakers monitor residents during the night to help them be more aware of activity and the risk of falls.  This prototype of the product used Floor in Motion floor panels in the rooms and a tablet secured to a cart to allow caretakers to stay in motion while still being able to monitor the system. The Floor in Motion and the enhancements added to it by the student design team work together to create a safer and more comfortable home environment for the elderly.