The shoe has been evaluated in the Madrid Parkinson Association With 5 patients from the center itself and 2 partners, one is in the Day Center, and the other is in outpatient therapy. 

Impact and Utility:

All the people have made a linear journey, with turns, steps through narrow areas, and areas of opening doors. The Center's therapists have indicated to us that this last scenario is the most prone to a blockage on the part of the person with Parkinson's to continue with their ambulation.

Some of the people who have tried the solution have a significant risk of falling and do not dare to walk alone, usually using canes, a wheelchair or human support.

The overall result of the product has been very favorable, ambulation has been better with Path Finder, less freezing of the gait, therefore less blockage. The step is longer, and makes it easier for them to complete the journey in less time. 

It has been perceived that the battery charges quickly, but it has a duration that people who have tested it seem very low.

Usability and accessibility:

The assessment of the therapists with whom we have collaborated is that the product is designed for people with Parkinson's who still walk, have Freeze Gait at least once a day, people who drag their feet and want to improve and lengthen their stride. It is important that they can use the visual signal to obtain a more regular and essential reference that they are cognitively well, people with dementia are not recommended to use it.

With the people with whom it has been tested, some can put on the Path Finder system and others not, depending on its degree of affectation and its limitations, just as it happens when putting on and taking off the shoe. Some profiles have been able to put it on correctly, but have not been able to remove it and other people have needed help to put it on and take it off.

Regarding the handling, not all of them have been able to turn it on and off by themselves, it has also been determined by the patient's own limitations and whether they had sufficient stiffness or trunk flexion.

Ease of acquisition:

The product is currently priced high, due to the sophistication of the solution. For an end user, it may still be a not very accessible product, although one of the people at the Day Center of the Madrid Parkinson Association has purchased it.

Design and ergonomics:

In relation to the design of the solution, people have found it not very discreet and that it can be uncomfortable, they suggest that it would be good to minimize the size of the laser. The material that fits the shoe gets dirty easily and a solution is proposed, for example with velcro. 

In relation to the laser, in open spaces or with a lot of light the laser is not seen correctly. It is also perceived that with some types of floors, the system cannot be seen clearly either, however, others such as stoneware, is very favorable.

Therapists who have evaluated the device, point out that the system proposes that the user always have to go with a neck flexion to be able to see the beam of light that Path Finder describes. It should be appreciated that in the long term it can have physical consequences for the person who uses it.