Abstract
Aging, injury, or ailments can contribute to impaired balance control and increase the risk of falling. Provision of light touch augments the sense of balance and can thus reduce the amount of body sway. In this study, a wearable reaction wheel-based system is used to deliver light touch-based balance biofeedback on the subject's back. The system can sense torso tilt and, using reaction wheels, generates light touch. A group of 7 healthy young individuals performed balance tasks under 12 trial combinations based on two conditions each of standing stance and surface types and three of biofeedback device status. Torso tilt data, collected from a waist-mounted smartphone during all the trials, were analyzed to determine the efficacy of the system. Provision of biofeedback by the device significantly reduced RMS of mediolateral (ML) trunk tilt (p < 0.05) and ML trunk acceleration (p < 0.05). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant interaction between stance and surface on reduction in RMS of ML trunk tilt, AP trunk tilt, ML trunk acceleration, and AP trunk acceleration. The device shows promise for further applications such as virtual reality interaction and gait rehabilitation.
Highlights
A smartphone-based torso tilt sensing module is used during experimental trials; it is not part of the biofeedback system and is only used to gather experimental data. e biofeedback device and smartphone both communicate with the PC over a Wi-Fi link to allow completely wireless operation. e feedback device has an on-board inertial measurement unit (IMU) which it uses to sense any changes in its orientation. e values read for the IMU are communicated to the microcontroller where they are processed to determine torso tilt in the mediolateral (ML) plane
Results of the 3-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed that all main effects and interactions were significant for RMS of ML trunk tilt
A wearable biofeedback device which generates light-touch biofeedback in correspondence to torso movement in the ML directions is evaluated in this research. e tests were conducted with participants without any balance impairments, and imbalance was induced by the use of imbalance inducing standing stances and an unstable standing surface
Summary
Standing with a stable posture is a capability that most of us take for granted and so considered to be a simple task. e reality, on the contrary, is totally opposite to this assumption. e achievement of the stable standing posture is possible through a synergetic collaboration of various faculties of the human body. e mechanism for maintaining postural stability can be divided into three parts: sensing, processing, and actuation. e sense of balance is achieved by the utilization of the vestibular system, visual input from the eyes, and proprioceptive input from the lower extremities [1]. e communication and processing of all the sensor data are carried out by the central nervous system (CNS), which generates the actuation signals according to those data, which are communicated by the CNS. e actuation signals are implemented by the musculoskeletal system [2]. A weakness, injury, or disorder of any of these systems involved may hamper the execution of the balance maintaining task, leading to postural instability [3]. Rehabilitation strategies include exercises or tasks that enhance posture control and are tailored according to the particular patient and modified according to their progress [6]. E task performance is sometimes accompanied by the use of various assistive devices such as orthotics, systems that induce a particular pattern of movement and biofeedback systems [7] It is in the realm of these devices that modern engineering technology is being extensively applied [8,9,10]. Compact and cost efficient systems may even allow the user to use them and perform rehabilitation tasks in the comfort of their own home, increasing the chance of the patients adhering to the prescribed exercises till the desired level of rehabilitation has been achieved [11]
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