Yours for £17,000 . . . motorised shoes Wallace would be proud of

MOTORISED shoes might sound like the sort of invention that could feature in a Wallace and Gromit adventure.

But researchers in Scotland hope the mechanical devices could help combat a major problem for millions of elderly people - helping them avoid debilitating, and sometimes deadly, falls.

The team at Strathclyde University in Glasgow also hopes the shoes, which have cost about 17,000 a pair to create, could eventually help paralympians, amputees and even astronauts.

Working with colleagues across Europe, the researchers have tested the devices on more than 100 older people as part of the Self Mobility Improvement in the Elderly by Counteracting Falls (SMILING) project.

The aim is to get the brain to adapt to difficult surfaces - essentially teaching elderly people how to walk again. Four motors in the base of the shoes cause them to tip or rise, recreating for the wearer the sensation of an uneven surface.

The wearer then has to react to the movements as they walk, teaching their brain to adapt to different conditions and reducing their risk of falls.

Dr David Carus, who helped develop the shoes at Strathclyde University, said: "This is a training device and it trains elderly people to relearn how to walk when they have established gait patterns that don't easily adapt themselves if they find themselves in a stumbling situation.

"Falling is a big problem for elderly people and it is also a major cause of injury such as hip fracture. This is a huge drain on health resources across Europe.

"So the intention is to train people to cope with new situations so that they can recover from a potential fall and be more confident in their walking."

Training is done in clinics in sessions lasting up to an hour, with patients assessed for walking ability and the shoes programmed to simulate different levels of difficulty.

The project's co-ordinator, Dr Fiorella Marcellini of the Italian National Institute on Ageing (INRCA), said: "Mobility is a key element to enhance independence and social participation through daily activities such as maintaining relationships with family and friends, participating in leisure time activities, accessing health care facilities and shopping."

An Age Scotland spokesman said: "We welcome any development that may prevent falls among people in later life.

"But we believe the situation is unlikely to improve until the state of our much of our national paving, the cause of hundreds of damaging trips and falls for older people, is addressed."