Fujitsu and Acer Medical trial AI service that assesses future disease risk in elderly patients through gait pattern abnormality detection
By integrating Fujitsu's advanced skeleton recognition AI into its mobile-friendly solution, Acer Medical is transforming routine movements—like standing, sitting, and walking—into valuable clinical insights. The goal of Acer Medical is to help caregivers and clinicians detect subtle changes early, enabling timely intervention and improving patient outcomes. This initiative reflects Acer Medical's broader mission: to bring intelligent, affordable healthcare solutions to communities that need them most.
Under the business model Fujitsu Uvance, Fujitsu is building an ecosystem of Uvance Partners that will apply data and AI towards the resolution of social issues. Through co-creation with these partners, and utilizing AI Decision Intelligence, Fujitsu aims to realize high-end health management services and advance people's wellbeing.
Under this partnership, Fujitsu and Acer Medical will accelerate efforts to address the social challenges related to gait abnormalities, including their presentation as the early symptoms of dementia and Parkinson's disease. The two companies aim to improve access to elderly care by rolling out this jointly-developed solution to care facilities and primary care clinics in Taiwan and hope to eventually apply it in sports science analysis, pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, and cerebral palsy.
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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Parkinson's patients in Brazil turn to a movement practice known as capoeira to ease symptoms
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Nilma Teles de Freitas, an 80-year-old retired teacher in Brazil who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease more than a decade ago, says she used to fall over all the time. That changed after she began attending a capoeira class in downtown Rio de Janeiro especially designed for people with the neurodegenerative illness. Capoeira is a movement practice that originated within the large enslaved communities in Brazil, where nearly 5 million kidnapped Africans disembarked during the transatlantic slave trade that started in the 16th century. It is considered both a martial art and a dance, combining ritual, exercise, spirituality and music. 'Capoeira gives me freedom to work on my body. What I can do. What I can't do. So I can have balance and a more comfortable life,' Teles de Freitas said during a recent class. Practiced for centuries by Afro-Brazilians, it has since become popular around the world. UNESCO recognized the practice in 2014 as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The project started in 2018 with physical therapist Rosimeire Peixoto, 60, who at that point had been attending capoeira classes herself for over a decade. After working with many patients with Parkinson's, she said she became convinced that introducing them to capoeira may help alleviate some of their symptoms. Parkinson's has a range of different symptoms, and along with difficulties in balancing, some common ones include slowness of movement, tremors and stooped posture. Patients can also experience anxiety, depression, sleeping disorders and nausea. 'I had the idea after reading an article that said alternating both hands when using a cell phone stimulates both hemispheres of the brain,' she said. 'And as a physiotherapist treating neurological patients, I was lacking exercises that would motivate them.' Peixoto's project was dubbed 'Parkinson na ginga' — or 'Parkinson's in the swing' — a reference to the first fluid, rhythmic step that capoeira practitioners learn. She now holds classes twice a week in the Progress Foundry, a sprawling cultural center in downtown Rio next to a famed white 18th century aqueduct and surrounded by palm trees. Capoeira helps improve balance, coordination and strength, with music loosening up tense bodies, Peixoto says. 'There is a lot happening in a capoeira circle. They feel the vibration, the energy, they pay attention to the music and to the partner to dodge blows' and to themselves, she said. During a recent class, Peixoto walked among the students, placing a gentle hand on a back here and there to help with balance, patiently repeating demonstrations and offering words of encouragement. Antônio de Azevedo, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few years ago, said he could hardly stand before. But since he started practicing capoeira, his stability returned. 'It's the best thing that's ever happened to me,' he said while he attended a capoeira class with around 10 other people, all with Parkinson's. Peixoto tries to make the classes a fun and social event — she often suggests a group samba dance at the end of the class, and regularly brings a cake to share. Teles de Freitas, the retired teacher, says that she loves the camaraderie among the class. 'We are there for one another,' she said. 'Feeling and conversing with friends gives strength.' She remembers how when she got her diagnosis, she left the doctor's office crying, terrified of the future. 'Today I'm smiling,' she said. 'I'm managing to live. I'm managing to interact with other people. I'm managing to be happy.'
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Cision Canada
Fujitsu and Acer Medical trial AI service that assesses future disease risk in elderly patients through gait pattern abnormality detection
TOKYO, July 15, 2025 /CNW/ -- Fujitsu Limited and Acer Medical Inc., a provider of AI-powered medical imaging and preventative medicine, today announced a collaborative agreement to develop "aiGait" powered by Uvance, a solution that leverages Fujitsu's advanced skeleton recognition AI technology to detect gait pattern abnormalities, and provide gait quantization to healthcare professionals to support the early diagnosis of dementia and Parkinson's disease. The technology is part of "Fujitsu Kozuchi for Vision" from the Fujitsu Uvance offering "AI Technologies and Solutions." The agreement, signed on June 25, 2025, has planned with initial testing at the daycare center attached to the Taipei Veterans Hospital. The testing will utilize cameras to capture data on patient movements, including standing up, sitting down, and walking, and will compare it with movements specific to dementia patients using skeleton recognition AI technology. The solution is expected to be introduced by Acer Medical to elderly care facilities across Taiwan by the end of 2025. By integrating Fujitsu's advanced skeleton recognition AI into its mobile-friendly solution, Acer Medical is transforming routine movements—like standing, sitting, and walking—into valuable clinical insights. The goal of Acer Medical is to help caregivers and clinicians detect subtle changes early, enabling timely intervention and improving patient outcomes. This initiative reflects Acer Medical's broader mission: to bring intelligent, affordable healthcare solutions to communities that need them most. Under the business model Fujitsu Uvance, Fujitsu is building an ecosystem of Uvance Partners that will apply data and AI towards the resolution of social issues. Through co-creation with these partners, and utilizing AI Decision Intelligence, Fujitsu aims to realize high-end health management services and advance people's wellbeing. Under this partnership, Fujitsu and Acer Medical will accelerate efforts to address the social challenges related to gait abnormalities, including their presentation as the early symptoms of dementia and Parkinson's disease. The two companies aim to improve access to elderly care by rolling out this jointly-developed solution to care facilities and primary care clinics in Taiwan and hope to eventually apply it in sports science analysis, pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, and cerebral palsy.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Missed visit ‘can be a life and death thing'
The DAUGHTER of a woman living in a Winnipeg assisted-living facility is raising concerns after a mixup at home care's new centralized scheduling office nearly caused her mother to miss essential medication. Koralee Nickarz, who lives in Vancouver but returns to Winnipeg every six weeks to visit her mother, 82-year-old Paulette Nickarz, said that had she not been in town last week, her mother would have missed critical nighttime medications. Her mother's regular bedtime worker didn't show up, and no replacement had been arranged. Nickarz said she had to call home care's after-hours line to find out if a worker was still coming. She eventually learned that the scheduled aide had left to tend to a family emergency. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Koralee Nickarz, with her mother Paulette, is concerned centralized scheduling is putting her mom's life in danger. 'No one knew because the home-care worker could not get through to the scheduling office. And she didn't have the time to wait on hold.' Nickarz said a customer service representative later told her that some aides had waited up to five hours on hold or for a callback that same day. 'Before moving to the centralized office, scheduling used to call me when they did not have a worker,' Nickarz said. 'Now, no worker shows up. Or they send someone at whatever time they can find someone for my mother's timed medication.' The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority centralized its home-care scheduling operations in late March, at a single location on Sutherland Avenue. The move was intended to address issues with communication, service inconsistency and workload. In a Jan. 23 memo introducing the changes, the WRHA said the move was also prompted by a review following the 2023 death of cancer patient Katherine Ellis who died after being misclassified and denied timely care. At the time, nurses described the rollout as rushed and chaotic, saying it disrupted care and overwhelmed staff. Some reported insulin-dependent clients had gone hours without medication, while others noted overlapping shifts or being dispatched to unfamiliar areas, causing further delays and cancellations. Nickarz said health-care aides she's spoken to have described the new system as a 'shit show.' She fears the consequences of delayed care for her mother, who has Parkinson's and requires medication at strict intervals. 'She has to take her Levodopa… every four hours,' Nickarz said. 'If she doesn't get it on time, she has a really hard time walking. And if she gets up, it's likely that she will fall. If she gets her Levodopa less than four hours apart, it can cause nausea, dizziness and confusion, which makes it more likely she could fall.' Her mother receives eight visits per day, including four for medication. Under the previous system, Nickarz said she would receive notice of care disruption a few days in advance. Now, she said, no one informs her if no one is coming — and staff at the assisted-living facility are not permitted to administer medications. A WRHA spokesperson said last week that the centralized scheduling office continues to improve service for both clients and staff. They noted that the average wait time for staff calling the office is currently 9 minutes and 20 seconds. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. 'We recognize there are periods when wait times may be longer, and we remain committed to reducing them,' the spokesperson said. They also pointed to recent changes, including new escalation pathways for urgent issues, a voicemail system for staff unable to work, and a pilot system to fill open shifts more efficiently. 'When changes to a client's schedule are necessary due to staffing, the scheduling office will reach out to the client or their primary contact to ensure they are informed and that backup care plans are in place,' the spokesperson said. Nickarz remains skeptical. 'It can be a life and death thing, because we know what happens with seniors when they fall — they can die,' she said. Scott BilleckReporter Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott. Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
