CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — ActiveProtective’s FDA-authorized wearable device designed to reduce serious hip injuries from falls has been named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026, drawing attention to a medical technology that demonstrated a 91% relative reduction in major hip injuries in a clinical study.
The Conshohocken-based company developed Tango Belt for older adults diagnosed as being at high risk of serious hip injury from falls. The prescription device uses motion sensors and automated airbag technology to reduce impact forces when a potentially dangerous fall occurs.
According to ActiveProtective, Tango Belt continuously monitors movement through three-dimensional motion sensors and algorithms designed to identify a fall likely to result in hip impact.
When the system detects such a fall, an integrated airbag deploys in less than 90 milliseconds, providing cushioning intended to reduce the force transmitted to the hip.
In a clinical study cited by the company, patients using Tango Belt experienced a 91% relative risk reduction in major hip injuries caused by falls compared with standard care alone.
The finding addresses a significant medical concern for older adults, particularly those who remain vulnerable to serious injury despite conventional fall-prevention measures.
Unlike technologies designed primarily to prevent falls, Tango Belt is intended to reduce the severity of injuries when falls occur.
The device has received FDA authorization and a Breakthrough Device designation, reflecting its development as a medical intervention for patients at elevated risk of serious hip injury.
TIME included Tango Belt on its 2026 Best Inventions list, which recognizes technologies and products across multiple industries.
“Despite ongoing fall-prevention efforts, older adults can remain at high risk of major fall-related hip injury, and Tango Belt addresses that gap with a clinically proven intervention,” said Wamis Singhatat, chief executive officer of ActiveProtective.
The technology originated with the company’s late founder and inventor, Dr. Robert F. Buckman Jr., who sought to develop a wearable system capable of protecting vulnerable patients from the consequences of falls.
ActiveProtective subsequently worked with clinicians, scientific advisers and clinical study participants to develop and evaluate the device.
The company is continuing efforts to expand patient access to Tango Belt as a prescription intervention for older adults at high risk of major hip injury.
The recognition comes as ActiveProtective seeks broader adoption of a technology that shifts part of fall-related injury management from preventing falls to reducing their physical consequences.
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