Engineer’s wearable helps Parkinson’s patients overcome freezing gait
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Amey Desai, an engineer from India, founded Lifespark Technologies to address challenges faced by people with Parkinson’s disease after his grandfathers experienced mobility issues.
He developed ‘WALK’, a wearable device that uses gentle vibrations and electrical stimulation to help patients overcome the sensation of their feet freezing while walking. Desai’s initial interest in the nervous system began during his engineering studies at BITS Pilani, Goa, where he researched brainwaves and muscle signals.
He realized that freezing of gait wasn’t a problem of muscle strength, but a breakdown in communication between the brain and body. WALK responds to this by providing cues to the nervous system, helping patients regain control of movement rather than physically moving their legs. The device underwent five years of research, testing, and refinement, including clinical validation in 2023 and 2024, before becoming available.
Lifespark Technologies is now expanding access to WALK through partnerships with clinicians and therapists and also developing PATHFINDER, a digital platform that remotely tracks patient movement and supports rehabilitation. Desai emphasizes that the most important measure of success isn’t technical performance, but how the device improves patients’ quality of life, allowing them to participate more fully in everyday activities and social events.
