Faculty of Engineering, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Cerro de Coatepec S/N, Toluca, Mexico.
Gerontotechnology Department, National Institute of Geriatrics, Anillo Periférico. 2767, San Jerónimo Lídice, La Magdalena Contreras, Mexico City, Mexico.
Ann Biomed Eng. 2021 Feb;49(2):933-945. doi: 10.1007/s10439-020-02630-w. Epub 2020 Oct 2.
This work presents the design and development of a new alternative tool to measure the Center of Pressure (CoP) displacements, intended to evaluate the human balance. The device is based on a modified commercial balance board used for video games, resulting in a low-cost, portable device capable of computing the CoP, providing 24 of the most used indexes to test the human balance. The proposed standalone device runs on rechargeable batteries, weighs only 3.5 kg, and has a data storage capacity for over 1000 tests. Visual and auditory instructions assist its user interface. Thus, contrary to the commercial systems designed for laboratory use, this device enables the measurement of quantitative balance parameters in non-laboratory places, allowing the study of the balance of vulnerable populations directly on their typical environments. To evaluate the device, 20 older adults (68.60 ± 1.23 years) were tested, and the resulting values were compared with a similar study using a force platform; 19 indexes showed a similarity with those reported using force platform and 12 of these were statistically equivalent. The proposed device represents an open-source alternative tool for researchers and healthcare personnel to acquire reliable data to evaluate human balance.
本工作提出了一种新的替代工具的设计和开发，旨在测量中心压力（CoP）位移，用于评估人体平衡。该设备基于经过修改的商用平衡板，用于视频游戏，从而形成了一种低成本、便携式设备，能够计算 CoP，并提供 24 个最常用的指标来测试人体平衡。所提出的独立设备使用可充电电池运行，仅重 3.5 公斤，具有超过 1000 次测试的存储容量。视觉和听觉指令辅助其用户界面。因此，与专为实验室使用而设计的商业系统相比，该设备能够在非实验室场所测量定量平衡参数，允许在典型环境中直接研究弱势群体的平衡。为了评估该设备，对 20 名老年人（68.60±1.23 岁）进行了测试，所得值与使用力台进行的类似研究进行了比较；19 个指标与使用力台报告的指标相似，其中 12 个指标在统计学上是等效的。所提出的设备代表了研究人员和医疗保健人员获取可靠数据以评估人体平衡的开源替代工具。
