Tile sensor developer ViTRAK awarded contract

Charlottetown, P.E.I.-based ViTRAK Systems Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Canadian Federal Government to supply its Stepscan gait analysis system to three Canadian hospitals.

Stepscan is a patented pressure sensitive electronic floor tile system combined with proprietary gait analysis software. The system is able to capture and analyze the patterns of mobility and balance in patients as they move across the floor.

The technology is able to measure under foot pressure distribution as well as many other movement parameters, such as a patients stride, sway/balance, and speed of movement.

Through a collaborative relationship with Veteran Affairs Canada, the Stepscan gait analysis flooring system will be used by rehabilitation specialists at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Toronto, Ont.), QE II Health Sciences Centre (Halifax, N.S.) and Sainte-Anne-de- Bellevue Hospital (Que.) in the assessment of Canadian war veterans suffering from mobility impairing conditions.

The placement of these systems in a major milestone for ViTRAK allowing the company to assess the technical performance of the Stepscan system in a clinical setting and also to work with top rehabilitation specialists in the evaluation of patient recovery outcome measures.

ViTRAK engineers and technical staff will be working closely with the hospital clinical staff in the collection and interpretation of data over the next eight months.