Balance Measurement Using Microsoft Kinect v2: Towards Remote Evaluation of Patient with the Functional Reach Test

Ines Ayed,Pau Martínez-Bueso,Gabriel Moyà-Alcover,Antoni Jaume-I-Capó,Arnau Mir

doi:10.3390/app11136073

Abstract

To prevent falls, it is important to measure periodically the balance ability of an individual using reliable clinical tests. As Red Green Blue Depth (RGBD) devices have been increasingly used for balance rehabilitation at home, they may also be used to assess objectively the balance ability and determine the effectiveness of a therapy. For this, we developed a system based on the Microsoft Kinect v2 for measuring the Functional Reach Test (FRT); one of the most used balance clinical tools to predict falls. Two experiments were conducted to compare the FRT measures computed by our system using the Microsoft Kinect v2 with those obtained by the standard method, i.e., manually. In terms of validity, we found a very strong correlation between the two methods (r = 0.97 and r = 0.99 (p < 0.05), for experiments 1 and 2, respectively). However, we needed to correct the measurements using a linear model to fit the data obtained by the Kinect system. Consequently, a linear regression model has been applied and examining the regression assumptions showed that the model works well for the data. Applying the paired t-test to the data after correction indicated that there is no statistically significant difference between the measurements obtained by both methods. As for the reliability of the test, we obtained good to excellent within repeatability of the FRT measurements tracked by Kinect (ICC = 0.86 and ICC = 0.99, for experiments 1 and 2, respectively). These results suggested that the Microsoft Kinect v2 device is reliable and adequate to calculate the standard FRT.

Highlights

Balance deterioration may increase the falling rate, given that balance and postural control deficit has been identified as one of the main factors of falls [1,2,3,4]
We presented an experimental system to assess the Functional Reach Test (FRT) with the Microsoft Kinect v2
We aimed to validate Microsoft Kinect v2 for balance and postural control assessment to use it with the support of a physiotherapist, and to use it autonomously by the user

Summary

Introduction

Balance deterioration may increase the falling rate, given that balance and postural control deficit has been identified as one of the main factors of falls [1,2,3,4]. Various clinical tests have been developed to help assessing balance, gait, and postural control of subjects and predict fall risks [5,6,7]. These tests include Tinetti Balance test [8,9,10], Berg Balance Scale [11,12,13,14], Timed. It is demonstrated that rehabilitation has more efficiency when done in a familiar environment like at the home of the patient [23] This is possible thanks to RGBD devices like Microsoft Kinect which can be used for providing an easier and simpler way to conduct the test. RGBD devices are used in serious games to improve balance and postural control [24,25] and they could be used for balance assessment as well [26]

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Discussion

Conclusion