Abstract
The center of plantar pressure (COP) reflects the dynamic balance of subjects to a certain extent. In this study, wearable pressure insoles are designed, body pose measure is detected by the Kinect sensor, and a balance evaluation system is formulated. With the designed games for the interactive actions, the Kinect sensor reads the skeletal poses to judge whether the desired action is performed, and the pressure insoles simultaneously collect the plantar pressure data. The COP displacement and its speed are calculated to determine the body sway and the ability of balance control. Significant differences in the dispersion of the COP distribution of the 12 subjects have been obtained, indicating different balancing abilities of the examined subjects. A novel assessment process is also proposed in the paper, in which a correlation analysis is made between the de facto sit-to-stand (STS) test and the proposed method; the Pearson and Spearman correlations are also conducted, which reveal a significant positive correlation. Finally, four undergraduate volunteers with a right leg sports injury participate in the experiments. The experimental results show that the normal side and abnormal side have significantly different characters, suggesting that our method is effective and robust for balance measurements.
Highlights
Balance ability is an important physiological function of human body, and it plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining the normal posture and activity of human body [1,2,3]
There is a significant effect of sway amplitude and direction on the measurement error of center of plantar pressure (COP), with an increase in error as sway amplitude increases and a significantly accumulated error in the sway direction [21]. These results show that the COP can reflect the state of motion, and the shift speed of COP provides valuable information for the assessment of human balance ability
In view of the pros and cons of the existing technologies, we propose a novel dynamic balance evaluation system, combining the functions of the Kinect sensor and wearable pressure insoles
Summary
Balance ability is an important physiological function of human body, and it plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining the normal posture and activity of human body [1,2,3]. Balance represents coordinating function for the trunk muscles and joints, especially hips, knees, and ankles [4]. Muscle dysfunction and weak core strength can lead to poor balance performance, which can result in incorrect walking posture and even sports injuries. Stroke, physical disability, and other factors will cause muscle dysfunction and lead to decline of human body balance ability, which is commonly considered as a risk factor for falls and fall-related injuries in older adults [5]. The assessment of balance ability plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of physical diseases.
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