Abstract
The quantitative measurement of an articular motion is an important indicator of its functional state and for clinical and pathology diagnoses. Joint angle evaluation techniques can be applied to improve sports performance and provide feedback information for prostheses control. Polymer optical fiber (POF) sensors are presented as a novel method to evaluate joint angles, because they are compact, lightweight, flexible and immune to electromagnetic interference. This study aimed to characterize and implement a new portable and wearable system to measure angles based on a POF curvature sensor. This study also aimed to present the system performance in bench tests and in the measurement of the elbow joint in ten participants, comparing the results with a consolidated resistive goniometer. Results showed high repeatability of sensors between cycles and high similarity of behavior with the potentiometer, with the advantage of being more ergonomic. The proposed sensor presented errors comparable to the literature and showed some advantages over other goniometers, such as the inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor and over other types of POF sensors. This demonstrates its applicability for joint angle evaluation.
Highlights
The quantitative measurement of articular motion is an important indicator of its functional state and for clinical and pathology diagnoses, and as an indicator of neurodegenerative disorders, which assists in the verification of joint and muscular limitation [1], and to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation exercises [2]
The quasi-static test was realized with the intention of showing the Polymer optical fiber (POF) sensor and the
This paper presented the development and the application of a POF sensor for joint angle measurement
Summary
The quantitative measurement of articular motion is an important indicator of its functional state and for clinical and pathology diagnoses, and as an indicator of neurodegenerative disorders, which assists in the verification of joint and muscular limitation [1], and to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation exercises [2]. The elbow joint motion has an important role in daily activities, and its amplitude can determine limitations, impairments, and can aid in medical diagnostics. The elbow articular motion can be analyzed during flexion–extension movement [5]. This measurement can be assessed through a variety of methods, such as goniometers, video-based techniques, inertial measurement units, and encoders, among others [4]. The most common is by using a goniometer, which can be made up of different types of sensors
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