For freezing of gait · Apple Watch + iPhone
Keep the beat when your steps stall.
GaitGuard notices a freeze on your wrist and answers with a steady, rhythmic tap. Your iPhone mirrors every moment, live.
- No account, no cloud
- Real-time Watch ↔ iPhone
- Open source
GaitGuard
1,180
Steps
108
Cadence (spm)
- Cues appear here the moment they happen
The moment it's for
A freeze can feel like your feet are glued to the floor, often on the first step, at a turn, or in a doorway. A steady outside rhythm can help the next step come. GaitGuard puts that rhythm on your wrist, right when it's needed.
How it works
Sense. Cue. Understand.
- 01
Senses the stall
Apple Watch reads your motion many times a second and recognizes when a start or a turn stops turning into steps.
- 02
Taps out a rhythm
A metronome-like haptic pulses on your wrist, with a distinct pattern for starting and for turning, to help the next step come.
- 03
Shows the pattern
Your iPhone mirrors the session live and keeps a timeline of every cue, so you and your care team can see what's changing.
Try it
Feel the rhythm.
This is the idea behind the cue. Pick a tempo, press start, and try stepping in time.
On your wrist, GaitGuard delivers this rhythm as haptic taps instead of sound, and only when it senses a freeze. On supported Android phones you'll feel a buzz here too.
Real-time sync
One walk. Two screens. Always in step.
Try it: start on either device, then simulate a freeze. Everything mirrors instantly, just like the real apps.
GaitGuard
0
Steps
--
Cadence (spm)
- Cues appear here the moment they happen
- Press start on either device. Watch the other one follow.
One source of truth
The Watch measures, the iPhone mirrors. Both draw the same score from the same state.
Catches up on open
Open either app and it pulls the latest session, settings and history straight away.
Nothing gets lost
Out of range? Changes queue up and land the moment the devices reconnect.
Features
Built for the moments that stick.
Tuned to your walk
A 30-second calibration walk sets thresholds to your own baseline, not an average.
Start and turn cues
Different haptic patterns for getting going and for turning, with adjustable strength.
Always in sync
Start, stop, score and cue history match on Watch and iPhone, within a moment.
Keeps working in the background
Monitoring continues when the Watch screen sleeps, like a workout does.
Control from your phone
A care partner can start, stop or adjust sensitivity without touching the Watch.
Private by design
No account and no cloud. Your history stays on your own devices.
Who it's for
Made with the people around the walk in mind.
People living with Parkinson's
A discreet tap on the wrist when your feet feel glued to the floor, at a doorway, a turn, or the first step.
Care partners
See how a walk is going from your iPhone, and start or stop cueing without reaching for their wrist.
Clinicians & physical therapists
Use it alongside the cueing strategies you teach, and review when and where freezes happen.
Safety
Clear about what this is, and what it isn't.
- Not a medical device. GaitGuard is a cueing aid and prototype. It doesn't diagnose, treat, or prevent disease.
- Use with supervision before relying on it in risky situations. Turning difficulty can raise fall risk.
- Pair it with care. Rhythmic cueing works best alongside strategies taught by a clinician or PT.
- No fall detection. The app doesn't detect falls or contact emergency services.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is GaitGuard a medical device?
No. GaitGuard is a cueing aid and a prototype. It does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any condition. It doesn't detect falls or contact emergency services.
What do I need?
An iPhone running iOS 17 or later and a paired Apple Watch running watchOS 10 or later. Detection and haptics run on the Watch; the iPhone is the companion.
Does it work away from my iPhone?
Yes. The Watch detects and cues on its own. When the two reconnect, history and settings catch up automatically.
Where is my data stored?
On your Watch and iPhone. GaitGuard has no account and doesn't send your walking data to a server.
When can I get it?
An App Store release is on the way. The project is open source on GitHub today.
Walk with a quieter kind of confidence.
The App Store release is on the way. Follow along, or explore the code, on GitHub.