Pbuddy
Balance wearable for Parkinson's Disease Patients I 2016
Pbuddy is designed for early-stage Parkinson's Disease patients to help prevent this incurable disease from degenerating by rehabilitating balance of patients' body. With its cuffs-like design, it is held on the both side of sleeves and keep tracks of the balance and give feedbacks.
In the early phase of the disease, the loss of balance starts from one side of their body. To prohibit the process of the degenerative yet incurable disease, patients are encouraged to get balanced and exercise regularly.
How might we help Parkinson's disease patients help balance their body?
01. Keep your balance checked.
The wearable device will measures your balance status. You can check your balance status in application in real-time.
Once your balance is impaired, lot will give you alarms both by vibration and application so you can consciously stay balanced.
02. Retrieve your balance
The application will show you proper exercises based on data of your balance status quo collected from the wearable device.
You can follow the video exercises and It will help you get your balance back and effective for patients' rehabilitation
03. Share your feelings
Emotion of the patients are vulnerable due to the hormone; dopamin, which is in relation with this disease. So this should be carefully taken care of.
Patients can share their feelings, emotions, useful information with other patients and emapathize with them with each other.
From Interviews and observation, I found out that the patients are very reluctant to reveal their disease status as it's incurable and they still perform naturally. Therefore a discreet device which does not reveal their disease status yet will be helpful in retrieving balance is necessary.
The design language for this iot is similar with cuffs in men's sleeves. It looks like accessory rather than electronic devices Wearables can be annoying sometimes when It is touched with skin. I attempt to design it looking like a accesorry-like product because almost all products for parkinson's disease was too invasive. On the contrary, the patients wanted to hide their disease.
