Tango Belt
Store Description
Tango® Belt by ActiveProtective® is an FDA-authorized, prescription medical device designed for appropriately diagnosed patients at high risk of major hip injury due to falls. Using advanced motion-sensing technology, Tango Belt, worn around the waist, detects a serious hip-impacting fall in progress and deploys a protective airbag around the hips in under 90 milliseconds.
Tango Belt is clinically demonstrated to reduce the risk of major hip injury in its indicated population. It represents an active approach to treating the consequences of a fall, not a fall-prevention device or general safety product. Clinical study results demonstrated a 91% relative risk reduction in major hip injury, a 66% reduction in emergency department visits, and a 56% reduction in hospitalizations.
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Details
How the Device Works:
Tango® Belt is a wearable medical device that uses sensors and algorithms that actively monitor patient movement and identify falls with specific trajectories and velocities that would result in impact to the hip. It automatically triggers deployment of an airbag to bilaterally surround the hips before the impact moment. The airbag attenuates the ground impact forces on the hip, mitigating the risk of serious hip injury (fracture or dislocation).
Not all falls trigger deployment. The device discriminates between a serious hip-impacting fall and lower-risk falls in which the person is likely to impact other body areas first or experience a non-serious hip impact, as well as normal activities of daily living. If the airbag deploys, the patient returns the Tango Belt and receives a replacement from inventory via express delivery. When the Tango® Belt Companion Mobile App is configured and connected via Wi-Fi, notifications can be sent to patient-specified caregivers after a fall is detected, or if the call button is pressed.
Veterans Who Should Be Considered for a Tango Belt:
- Have an active fall risk or history of falls
- Have weakened or fragile bones (osteoporosis, osteopenia, or prior fragility fracture)
- Can transfer and ambulate independently or with assistance
Clinical Outcomes*:
- Major hip injuries: 1.1% vs. 12.1% - a 90.9% relative risk reduction
- Fall-related hip fractures: 2.2% vs. 11.4% - an 80.7% reduction
- Fall-related Emergency Dept. visits: 6% vs. 17.8% - a 66.3% reduction
- Fall-related hospitalizations: 8.2% vs. 18.9% - a 56.6% reduction
- Overall fall rates did not differ significantly between groups (1.56 vs. 1.31 falls per 180 days), indicating the device reduces injury from falls rather than fall frequency.
Specifications:
| Sizes (measured by waist circumference) | X-Small (29”-32”) Small (33”-36”) Medium (37”-40”) Large (41”-45”) X-Large (46”-50”) |
| Materials (physical belt and charger) | PC/ABS and PE-coated fabrics (passed evaluation for biocompatibility under ISO 10993) |
| Weight | Appx. 2 lbs. |
| Allergens | None known |
| Charger power input | 100-240V ac, 50/60Hz, 0.16-0.07 |
| Charger power output | 5Vdc, 1.2A, 6W |
| Battery | 3.7Vdc, 3300mAh |
| Battery use duration | Min. 48 hours with normal use |
| Class of equipment | Class II |
| Ingress protection rating | IP22 |
| Service life | 3 years |
Resources:
- Demonstration vídeo on Vimeo
- Editorial white paper: Veterans Hip Injury Prevention: A Strategy to Prevent 10,000 Fractured Hips a Year
- News article: Higgins, Lauryn. (2026, October 15). The Best Inventions of 2026: ActiveProtective Tango Belt. TIME.
- Press release: Tango Belt Named to TIME’s List of Best Inventions 2026