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The way you walk could aid detection of dementia and Parkinson’s

The AI technology was originally developed for sports judging systems

Updated:

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Mark Huffman
Reporter

Mark Huffman has covered consumer issues since 2004, with a special focus on protecting and empowering older adults. A former news correspondent for the Associated Press Radio Network, Westwood One, and ConsumerAffairs, Mark brings decades of journalistic experience to RetirementLiving.com. He is passionate about giving consumers a voice and helping them make informed decisions. Mark has also created educational content, including Senior Scam Alert, a video resource designed to help seniors recognize and avoid fraud. He holds a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and lives with his family in Richmond, Virginia.
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Photo by Matteo del Piano on Unsplash

Key Insights

  • Fujitsu and Acer Medical partner to develop “aiGait,” an AI-powered tool to detect gait abnormalities linked to dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
  • Initial trials in Taiwan will begin at Taipei Veterans Hospital’s daycare center, with wider deployment to elderly care facilities by the end of 2025.
  • AI-powered skeleton recognition technology transforms everyday movements into clinical insights for early diagnosis and intervention.

Could artificial intelligence help doctors predict future cognitive issues simply by analyzing how a patient walks? Fujitsu Limited and Acer Medical Inc. believe it can.

The two companies have announced a strategic collaboration to develop aiGait powered by Uvance, a medical AI solution that uses advanced skeleton recognition to detect early gait abnormalities associated with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

The initiative uses technology originally developed for sports judging systems and applies it to healthcare. Using only smartphone or tablet cameras, caregivers can record simple daily movements, such as standing, sitting, and walking, which are then analyzed by Fujitsu’s AI to provide clinicians with quantitative assessments of patient gait patterns.

Initial testing will begin in Asia, at the daycare center attached to Taipei Veterans Hospital, where patient movement data will be collected and compared with known dementia-specific gait patterns. The findings will help refine the system before its rollout to elderly care facilities across Taiwan by the end of 2025.

According to Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes, the number of older adults living with dementia is projected to nearly double from 350,000 in 2024 to 680,000 by 2041. With early diagnosis critical to improving outcomes and reducing healthcare costs, aiGait aims to provide an accessible, scalable screening tool for communities facing the realities of aging populations.

Turning movements into clinical analysis

By integrating Fujitsu’s high-precision AI algorithms, Acer Medical’s mobile-friendly solution converts routine activities into meaningful health data. Subtle deviations from normal movement patterns can trigger alerts for caregivers, prompting referrals to physicians for further evaluation.

“By combining Acer Medical’s outstanding expertise in AI health tech with our ability to analyze human movement at high accuracy, we have created a solution that can be rolled out globally,” said Hidenori Fujiwara, head of Fujitsu’s Human Digital Twin Division. He emphasized that the initiative supports the World Health Organization’s vision of healthy aging.

“This collaboration brings together the technological and clinical expertise of both Taiwan and Japan, addressing the growing demand for preventive medicine and smart healthcare in aging societies,” said Dr. Allen Lien, chairman of Acer Medica.

Beyond elder cares

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“Among patients discharged after invasive care for a myocardial infarction with a left ventricular ejection fraction above 40%, beta-blocker therapy appeared to have no effect,” the study concluded.