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Classification and characterization of postural transitions using instrumented shoes

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Abstract

The frequency and quality of sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit postural transitions decrease with age and are highly relevant for fall risk assessment. Accurate classification and characterization of these transitions in daily life of older adults are therefore needed. In this study, we propose to use instrumented shoes for postural transition classification as well as transition duration estimation from insole force signals. In the first part, data were collected with 10 older adults and 10 young participants performing transitions in the laboratory while wearing the instrumented shoes, without arm assistance. A wavelet approach was used to transform the insole force data, and candidate events were selected for transition duration estimation. Transition durations were then validated against a model based on force plate reference. Vertical force estimation was also compared to force plate measurement. In the second part, postural transitions were classified in daily life using the instrumented shoes and validated against a highly accurate wearable system. Transition duration was estimated with an error ranging from 10 to 20% while the error for vertical force estimation was 7%. Postural transition classification was achieved with excellent sensitivity and precision exceeding 90%. In conclusion, the instrumented shoes are suitable for classifying and characterizing postural transitions in daily life conditions of healthy older adults.

“Experimental setup showing instrumented shoes, reference force plate, as well as IMUs used for postural transition classification and duration estimation comparison”

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Eling de Bruin for the ethical application that was required to perform the measurements.

Funding

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement FARSEEING no. 288940.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Christopher Moufawad el Achkar, Anisoara Paraschiv-Ionescu & Kamiar Aminian

  2. Service of Geriatric Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), 1066, Epalinges, Switzerland

    Constanze Lenbole-Hoskovec, Kristof Major & Christophe Büla

Authors
  1. Christopher Moufawad el Achkar
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  2. Constanze Lenbole-Hoskovec
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  3. Anisoara Paraschiv-Ionescu
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  4. Kristof Major
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  5. Christophe Büla
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  6. Kamiar Aminian
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Christopher Moufawad el Achkar or Kamiar Aminian.

Ethics declarations

All participants agreed to participate in the study by signing a consent form and the measurements were approved by the university’s ethical committee: “Quantification of postural transitions using multimodal sensory input” under reference “EK 2012-N-32”.

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Moufawad el Achkar, C., Lenbole-Hoskovec, C., Paraschiv-Ionescu, A. et al. Classification and characterization of postural transitions using instrumented shoes. Med Biol Eng Comput 56, 1403–1412 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-017-1778-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-017-1778-8

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