Fallville: A Perspective on an Interactive Pedagogical Tool to Enhance Understanding and Implementation of Fall-Compliant Flooring

Fall-compliant flooring represents a passive fall preventative approach that has emerged as an effective intervention for reducing fall-related injuries, yet its adoption remains limited due to insufficient understanding among end-users and key stakeholders. To address this knowledge gap, this perspective article provides a proof-of-concept for an interactive pedagogical tool designed to use gamification principles to improve understanding of the mechanical behavior of fall-compliant flooring. This two-part perspective article first establishes the scientific foundation through controlled ball drop experiments comparing energy dissipation between fall-compliant and standard flooring. Through video-based tracking analysis, the experiments quantified kinetic energy and force dissipation across spatial and temporal dimensions. Results revealed that fall-compliant flooring exhibits significantly superior spatiotemporal energy dissipation capabilities compared to standard flooring across both force and kinetic energy metrics. Building on these findings, the second part proposes a conceptual framework for a pedagogical tool that translates these experimental insights into an interactive learning experience that could, in future implementations, allow users to conduct hands-on ball drop activities supported by real-time scientific explanations. This approach transforms complex biomechanical concepts into accessible, engaging learning experiences. By combining experiential learning with gamified elements, this tool, termed "Fallville", has the potential to increase fall-injury prevention awareness, deepen understanding of fall-compliant flooring mechanisms, and ultimately accelerate adoption of this proven safety intervention in healthcare and residential settings.