On April 13, 2012, Michael Rowling and his partners set out to create a gait analysis walkway system designed to push the boundaries of what can be done with the technology. ProtoKinetics was formed with the intent to use gait mat technology to develop new movement protocols that provide meaningful measurements that you can trust for clinical and research use. Over the past 10 years we have been true to that vision, developing a system with simple to use automated protocols and flexible software design for custom research protocols. After a gait protocol was established, the next automated protocol developed was the Primary Gait Screen (PGS), designed to look at transitional movements, including gait initiation, turning and gait termination. More recently an instrumented Four Square Step Test and standing balance protocol have been added, creating the ability to rapidly analyze multidirectional stepping and sway characteristics.
Managing and synthesizing accurate gait and balance data are vital to understanding the effectiveness of interventions that characterize patients’ mobility in and capacity for daily activities. ProtoKinetics has understood this since our inception, using accurate, direct measurements as the groundwork of our innovative solution. Founder Mike Rowling has stated, “Essentially, ProtoKinetics is the calibration station—the ground truth for temporal-spatial measurements. We are able to collect and accurately analyze aberrant gaits and pathological gaits, whereas wearable technologies can be limited by their AI/machine learning algorithms that are in place at the time of assessments.” This attitude has been adopted around the industry as the Zeno Walkway System has been used as a gold standard instrument for validation of other technologies attempting to quantify gait.
ProtoKinetics has created innovative movement analysis protocols using accurate, direct measures as the hallmark of the company. It is not surprising that over 220 peer-reviewed articles have been published using the Zeno Walkway and PKMAS software since our launch just 10 years ago. While a significant portion of the articles concentrate on standard gait assessments in different pathologic conditions, articles published on the FSST, PGS, and custom protocols highlight the power and versatility of our system.
At ProtoKinetics, we are proud to have been industry partners for our clients for the past 10 years. From the earliest adopters of our technology to our newest clients, it is truly an honor to work with you and support your vision for how our technology can be used. Whether it is through direct customer interaction or exhibiting and sponsoring at conferences that matter you, it has been our privilege to serve the gait and balance community. We look forward to creating new protocols and pushing the boundaries of what this technology can do in the years to come. However, most of all, we look forward to our continued work and support of the gait and balance community and the amazing research and clinical work that our clients do to change healthcare. Thank you to everyone who has made the past 10 years such a success!
