Shape-memory Plastic Flooring Saves Lives in Lemures Arx
In the city of Lemures Arx, revolutionary Shape-memory Plastic Flooring (SPF) offers a safer walking surface for the elderly. Because of osteoporosis and other factors that contribute to bone loss, the elderly suffer injuries from falls on flooring more frequently than any other age group, resulting in debilitating situations, high medical expense, and even death. An example of a life-threatening fall for the elderly
can be as common as a slip on ordinary vinyl flooring in a kitchen or bathroom. SPF, a plastic composite material that absorbs the shock of a fall, replaces hard flooring without sacrificing sturdiness or traction.
A 1994 study published in Nursing Times reported that flooring type conclusively affects the risk of injury to older Americans. The article written by Frances Healy revealed that in a random sample of 225 accident forms analyzed and separated into two separate groups, elderly people who fell on hard flooring received injuries 91 percent of the time compared to 15 percent of the time for those who fell on carpeted flooring.1 The study clearly indicated that the elderly need a safer alternative to hard flooring in their homes.
Materials engineers in Lemures Arx developed SPF to replace hard flooring in kitchens and bathrooms throughout the city. Shape-memory plastic has both a visible, current form and a stored, permanent form that can be restored using heat.2 SPF contains a thin layer of shape-memory plastic that rests atop a 2-inch layer of dense foam. When struck by a sufficient level of force such as a fall by an elderly person, the top layer is designed to collapse into the foam base, which absorbs the shock of the impact. The upper layer slowly returns to its rigid form when heat is automatically applied to the plastic through a network of sensors.
The role of materials engineering was critical to SPF's creation. Materials engineers, who processed, tested, and modeled SPF, researched the feasibility of shape memory polymers and composite materials early in the twenty-first century.3 This led to the first shape-memory composite plastics. Materials engineers in Lemures Arx enhanced SPF by integrating a “smart grid” into the plastic that could sense pressure similar to the way a touch screen works on a PDA. Computer controls within the home automatically adjust SPF to compensate for varying loads and levels of shock. SPF is produced in plastic injection molding plants, then custom-assembled inside homes.
Because it is composed of plastic, SPF is inexpensive to produce compared to the cost of fall-related injuries. According to a 1999 study by the Health Economics Consortium at the University of York, researchers estimated that falls by the elderly cost health insurance companies billions per year. 4 For this reason alone, insurance companies in Lemures Arx regularly help subsidize the purchase and installation of SPF in client homes. Lemures Arx, in partnership with healthcare facilities, has now installed SPF in every elderly care center in the city. SPF--making a difference by saving lives.
1. F. Healy. Nursing Times 90: 40-41 (1994) (online) Available http://www.carpet-health.org/pdf/NursingTimesArticle.pdf
2: Radler, Don, 2002, "Shape Memory Polymers Could Play A Role In Surgery." Daily University Science News", Daily University Science News. (online) Available http://unisci.com/stories/20022/0628026.htm
3: Armstrong, W. D., 2001, "The Self Thermal-Plastic Response of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy Fiber Actuated Metal Matrix Composites", International Journal of Solids and Structures, 38:7029-7044.
4: LaCroix, A.Z., 1993, Maintaining Mobility In Late Life: Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, Physical Activity, And Body Mass Index. American Journal of Epidemiology, 137:858-869.
Works Cited
Boulton, Clint, 2003, "Researchers Developing Plastic Memory Technology," (online) Available http://siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article.php/3108941
"Falls and Hip Fractures Among Older Adults," National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (online) Available http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/falls.htm
Maass, Frank, 2002 "Plastics with a Memory," Global Technoscan, (online) Available http://www.globaltechnoscan.com/4thJuly-10thJuly02/ plastics_with_a_memory.htm
