Validating a low-cost, consumer force-measuring platform as an accessible alternative for measuring postural sway

Kristin Alicia Bartlett; Katharine Emily Forth; Charles Shannon Layne; Stefan Madansingh

doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.04.039

Validating a low-cost, consumer force-measuring platform as an accessible alternative for measuring postural sway

Kristin Alicia Bartlett, Katharine Emily Forth, Charles Shannon Layne, Stefan Madansingh

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Zibrio SmartScale is a low-cost, portable force platform designed to perform an objective assessment of postural stability. The purpose of the present study was to validate the center of pressure (COP) measurements in the Zibrio SmartScale. Simultaneous COP data was collected by a Zibrio SmartScale and a laboratory-grade force platform (LFP) under the dynamic motion of an inverted pendulum device intended to mimic the sway of a standing human. The inverted pendulum was placed on the Zibrio SmartScale which was placed on the LFP. The pendulum was then displaced to angles of 3° and 5° in both the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML) directions. The findings of this study show low mean average error (MAE) among the measures taken simultaneously upon the LFP and Zibrio SmartScale with no appreciable difference in error in either AP or ML COP directions. Averaged over repeated trials, the MAE did not surpass 0.5 mm. This represented 0.4% of the total range (±50 to 60 mm in 5° displacement trials) of simulated COP. The results of this study strongly indicate that the Zibrio SmartScale can perform adequately as a light-weight and low-cost alternative method of COP measurement in comparison to a traditional LFP.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	138-142
Number of pages	5
Journal	Journal of Biomechanics
Volume	90
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.04.039
State	Published - Jun 11 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Funding

Zibrio Inc. , a privately held company, provided financial support for this study. No external funding was provided for this study. Dr. Layne and the University of Houston received no funding support for this study and the equipment borrowed from the University of Houston was provided at no cost through an equipment loan agreement. The authors would like to thank the University of Houston's Center for Neuromotor and Biomechanics Research (CNBR) for providing the laboratory force plate used in this study. Zibrio Inc., a privately held company, provided financial support for this study. No external funding was provided for this study. Dr. Layne and the University of Houston received no funding support for this study and the equipment borrowed from the University of Houston was provided at no cost through an equipment loan agreement.

Funders	Funder number
CNBR
University of Houston's Center for Neuromotor and Biomechanics Research
University of Houston-Downtown

Keywords

Balance
Center of pressure
Force platform
Postural sway

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Biophysics
Biomedical Engineering
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Rehabilitation

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10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.04.039

Cite this

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title = "Validating a low-cost, consumer force-measuring platform as an accessible alternative for measuring postural sway",

abstract = "The Zibrio SmartScale is a low-cost, portable force platform designed to perform an objective assessment of postural stability. The purpose of the present study was to validate the center of pressure (COP) measurements in the Zibrio SmartScale. Simultaneous COP data was collected by a Zibrio SmartScale and a laboratory-grade force platform (LFP) under the dynamic motion of an inverted pendulum device intended to mimic the sway of a standing human. The inverted pendulum was placed on the Zibrio SmartScale which was placed on the LFP. The pendulum was then displaced to angles of 3° and 5° in both the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML) directions. The findings of this study show low mean average error (MAE) among the measures taken simultaneously upon the LFP and Zibrio SmartScale with no appreciable difference in error in either AP or ML COP directions. Averaged over repeated trials, the MAE did not surpass 0.5 mm. This represented 0.4% of the total range (±50 to 60 mm in 5° displacement trials) of simulated COP. The results of this study strongly indicate that the Zibrio SmartScale can perform adequately as a light-weight and low-cost alternative method of COP measurement in comparison to a traditional LFP.",

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year = "2019",

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doi = "10.1016/j.jbiomech.2019.04.039",

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AU - Forth, Katharine Emily

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AU - Madansingh, Stefan

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Validating a low-cost, consumer force-measuring platform as an accessible alternative for measuring postural sway

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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