Abstract
Measurement of the displacement of the center-of-pressure (COP) is an important tool used in biomechanics to assess postural stability and human balance. The goal of this research was to design and validate a low-cost portable device that can offer a quick indication of the state of postural stability and human balance related conditions. Approximate entropy (ApEn) values reflecting the amount of irregularity hiding in COP oscillations were used to calculate the index. The prototype adopted a portable design using the measurements of the load cells located at the four corners of a low-cost force platform. The test subject was asked to stand on the device in a quiet, normal, upright stance for 30 s with eyes open and subsequently for 30 s with eyes closed. Based on the COP displacement signals, the ApEn values were calculated. The results indicated that the prototype device was capable of capturing the increase in regularity of postural control in the visual-deprivation conditions. It was also able to decipher the subtle postural control differences along anterior–posterior and medial–lateral directions. The data analysis demonstrated that the prototype would enable the quantification of postural stability and thus provide a low-cost portable device to assess many conditions related to postural stability and human balance such as aging and pathologies.
Highlights
Measurement of the displacement of the center-of-pressure (COP) is an important tool used in biomechanics to assess postural stability
The theoretical foundation of this study is that Approximate entropy (ApEn) can be used as an effective indicator of subtle postural control impairments related to aging and pathologies [1]
Instead of comparing with commercial force platform measurements, this study aimed to develop a postural control metric and compare those values with prior studies of postural control to find out if it is capable of successfully detecting subtle balance impairments
Summary
Measurement of the displacement of the center-of-pressure (COP) is an important tool used in biomechanics to assess postural stability. The ultimate goal of this research is to design and validate a portable low-cost device that can serve as an objective measure for quick assessment of postural stability and human balance related conditions. The ApEn values of COP oscillations would be lower to indicate the reduction of irregularity of the COP oscillations as people age. This provides additional information about age-related postural stability changes. This device can potentially be used as a low-cost, portable, quick indicator of whether or not the subject suffers an increased risk of age-related falls [3]
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