Katharine Forth, PhD, Creator of Zibrio Smartscale at TMCx Houston talks about the importance of her new device and her journey to create it.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in February 2019.
So let’s get into the backstory of how this is made because I think that’s really intriguing. It started out at NASA for astronauts? How did this all begin?
FORTH: At NASA, we test astronauts’ balance before and after they go to space to better understand the effects of microgravity on their postural control and health. Once the NASA goals extended to supporting an astronaut going to Mars, there was an idea that a lunar base would be helpful for checking astronauts’ health before they return back to Earth after the long trip to Mars. So, for balance health, we wanted to shrink the measuring technology, that was the size of a phone booth, into an insole to fit inside a moon boot. In doing so, we actually invented an algorithm that was so sensitive that we could detect small differences in people on Earth with their eyes open, standing comfortably. My co-founder, Erez Lieberman-Aiden, and I were sitting at lunch one day at NASA discussing how this powerful test could help a lot of people. We were in agreement and decided in that moment to pursue this venture.
Into a moonboot, I mean, what was going through your head? Was there ever a time where you thought is this even going to work?
FORTH: That’s just the process of science. You have lofty goals and you work towards them. Sometimes it goes exactly as planned and other times you have a miraculous discovery or invention. Once you get an unexpected breakthrough, though, that’s when it gets really exciting. Given the impact of this discovery, we felt it was important to get it out to the real world to help people, rather than just keeping it in a scientific lab.
And the first time you saw this technology work, what was your instant reaction?
FORTH: I think whenever you have any kind of invention like this it’s incremental on the gains. You’re seeing it as it’s going through and as it’s improving. But, our biggest moment was our first real test to see if we can predict falls. We realized that not only did we predict falls, but it was robust across a broad group of people. It’s pretty exciting to have the first round of data coming through to show that not only can we capture postural stability in a really unique interesting way, but that that is also predictive of whether somebody is going to fall down in the future.
And I know for you, like many people, the idea of preventing falls is also personal. Tell me a little bit more about that.
FORTH: That’s right, yes. My grandmother was a very athletic lady. She ran when she was younger, one of many sisters that also ran. My memories of her even in her 70s, she would kick the soccer ball with me. She was just very, very active. And when she was about 86, she actually had a fall in her house. Now, this is a British house with very treacherous steps. But still she fell and that ultimately led to her demise. It was just so painful and sad to watch such an athletic capable person suddenly reduced to being in a hospital bed with a broken hip, being in a wheelchair, and using a walker. It had a very big impact on me, especially as it was preventable. And now, I want to help lots of people so they don’t have to suffer in the same way.
Do you remember your reaction when you first heard that news about your grandmother?
FORTH: Well it was a shock because she was so physically capable, and I think what I’ve learned now is that falling can happen to anybody and it can have such a dramatic impact on your life. And if we can prevent it, why aren’t we trying to prevent these things?
Is your grandmother still alive?
FORTH: She is not, unfortunately.
Did she ever know that she had this influence?
FORTH: No, I do not think that she did. The invention came after she had already passed away. But I think it left a strong impression that has helped to push my science forward.
So how did that switch happen? You said you were sitting at the lunch table with your partner and you go from an astronaut boot to helping people in their own household? How did that happen?
FORTH: Well, my co-founder, Erez, also had a grandmother who had also fallen and suffered serious consequences. We were very much in sync with our experiences. When you are dealing with astronauts’ health, you understand decline in a slightly different way than perhaps people on Earth. We view it as adaptation rather than inevitable decline; which has a different tone, one of optimism. For us to be able to then apply our knowledge to truly help people improve and avoid the pain that we both had felt, it was just natural.
If you could sum up your hopes for the smart scale what would they be?
FORTH: My hope is for the SmartScale to be in everyone’s home and doctor’s office and prevent the unnecessary pain and hurt that comes from falls. My hope is to empower people to not only prevent falls, but to live their life to the fullest. Empower people to be the best versions of themselves.
Anything else I’d like to add?
FORTH: I think the main thing I’d like to add is that people don’t understand that your ability to balance changes every day. We often don’t think of the risk of falling down until people are much older. One of the values of this particular scale is that you can see a reduction in balance before you are visibly wobbly. That allows you to actually take action and to be the best version of yourself decades before you even are considered at risk for falling. For us, the empowerment piece to help people realize that they can actually do a lot for themselves a lot earlier, before it’s almost too late, is it something that we’re really passionate about.
Was there an objective way to measure balance before?
FORTH: Not really, I think people find ways to try and sort it out like, stand on one leg. You think about the classic DWI test and walking a line and touch your nose, that’s a balance test. You can have some level of understanding, of course, from a functional test, but we get down to a resolution that’s far, far superior. And you can’t pick what someone’s score is going to be just by looking at them. They need to stand on the scale. It really leads you into a path of investigation about what in your life that’s contributing positively and negatively to your balance?
Why is this a big deal?
FORTH: This technology is a huge deal because it means that we can help and empower people to prevent falls, and to provide the awareness of their physical state. Falling is the leading cause of accidental death in older adults. 1 in 4 over 65yrs fall every year, and if you are over 80yrs it is 1 in 2. That’s pretty scary when you think about grandparents. There are four grandparents. One of those should be falling down every year and if they’re over 80, half of them are going to fall down. On top of that, falling results in $50 billion spent in medical costs every single year. That’s a huge expenditure for something that is preventable. And, if you get down to personal level, as people start to have physical declines and their balance is dropping down, they often limit the way they move and limit the choices. Inactivity is perceived as safer and leads to a less engaged experience. If you can measure your balance and fall risk, you know where you are and you can determine what is helping your balance. This is how we empower people, by providing a way for them to quantify their risk and ability and guide them how to improve. Allowing them to truly enjoy their life.
END OF INTERVIEW
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If you would like more information, please contact:
Katherine Forth, CEO Zibrio
713-822-7799
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