The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; Department of Kinesiology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Gait Posture. 2022 Feb;92:199-205. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.11.034. Epub 2021 Nov 26.
Body-worn inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors have been widely used in postural stability and balance studies because of their low cost and convenience. In most of these studies, a single IMU sensor is attached to a waist belt near the body's center of mass. Some populations such as pregnant women, however, may find a waist belt challenging in terms of fit and comfort. For this reason it may be useful to identify an alternative location for placement of an IMU and a more comfortable means for attaching the sensor to the body. Research question Does placing an IMU sensor in a pendant worn around the neck permit discrimination between conditions with varying postural stability?
Twenty-six healthy participants performed three standing tasks (double-leg, tandem, and single-leg standing) under eyes-open and eyes-closed vision conditions to preliminarily assess the ability of the pendant sensor to discriminate between balance conditions. Discrimination based upon data from a belt-mounted IMU was assessed in the same trials. Differences in standard deviation of acceleration components, sway area, and jerkiness due to trial condition and sensor were evaluated using analysis of variance followed by post hoc comparisons. These data were also incorporated into receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to assess the effectiveness of each sensor at discriminating between conditions.
Stability was found to vary across conditions, but there was no interaction between stability and sensor location (all p ≥ 0.323). ROC curve analysis showed that sensors in both locations were good discriminators between conditions. Significance Placing an IMU in a pendant may be feasible for studying and monitoring postural instability. This approach may be especially valuable when considering populations for which wearing a belt is uncomfortable.
由于成本低、使用方便，穿戴式惯性测量单元（IMU）传感器已广泛应用于姿势稳定性和平衡研究。在这些研究中，大多数将单个 IMU 传感器附着在靠近身体重心的腰带上。然而，对于一些群体，例如孕妇，佩戴腰带可能在舒适度和贴合度方面存在挑战。出于这个原因，寻找替代的 IMU 附着位置和更舒适的传感器附着方式可能会很有用。研究问题：将 IMU 传感器放置在佩戴于颈部的吊坠中是否可以区分具有不同稳定性的姿势？
26 名健康参与者在睁眼和闭眼视觉条件下进行了三项站立任务（双腿、并腿和单腿站立），初步评估吊坠传感器区分平衡状态的能力。在相同的试验中评估了基于佩戴在腰带上的 IMU 的区分能力。使用方差分析和事后比较评估了由于试验条件和传感器导致的加速度分量标准差、摆动面积和急动度的差异。这些数据也被纳入接收者操作特征（ROC）曲线分析，以评估每个传感器在区分条件方面的有效性。
稳定性在不同条件下存在差异，但稳定性和传感器位置之间没有交互作用（所有 p 值均≥0.323）。ROC 曲线分析表明，两个位置的传感器在区分条件方面都是很好的区分器。意义：将 IMU 放置在吊坠中可能适用于研究和监测姿势不稳定。对于那些佩戴腰带不舒服的人群，这种方法可能特别有价值。
