The Dual Task Ball Balancing Test and Its Association With Cognitive Function: Algorithm Development and Validation.

BACKGROUND: Dual task paradigms are thought to offer a quantitative means to assess cognitive reserve and the brain's capacity to allocate resources in the face of competing cognitive demands. The most common dual task paradigms examine the interplay between gait or balance control and cognitive function. However, gait and balance tasks can be physically challenging for older adults and may pose a risk of falls. OBJECTIVE: We introduce a novel, digital dual-task assessment that combines a motor-control task (the "ball balancing" test), which challenges an individual to maintain a virtual ball within a designated zone, with a concurrent cognitive task (the backward digit span task [BDST]). METHODS: The task was administered on a touchscreen tablet, performance was measured using the inertial sensors embedded in the tablet, conducted under both single- and dual-task conditions. The clinical use of the task was evaluated on a sample of 375 older adult participants (n=210 female; aged 73.0, SD 6.5 years). RESULTS: All older adults, including those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer disease-related dementia (ADRD), and those with poor balance and gait problems due to diabetes, osteoarthritis, peripheral neuropathy, and other causes, were able to complete the task comfortably and safely while seated. As expected, task performance significantly decreased under dual task conditions compared to single task conditions. We show that performance was significantly associated with cognitive impairment; significant differences were found among healthy participants, those with MCI, and those with ADRD. Task results were significantly associated with functional impairment, independent of diagnosis, degree of cognitive impairment (as indicated by the Mini Mental State Examination [MMSE] score), and age. Finally, we found that cognitive status could be classified with >70% accuracy using a range of classifier models trained on 3 different cognitive function outcome variables (consensus clinical judgment, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test [RAVLT], and MMSE). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the dual task ball balancing test could be used as a digital cognitive assessment of cognitive reserve. The portability, simplicity, and intuitiveness of the task suggest that it may be suitable for unsupervised home assessment of cognitive function.

The inertial-based gait normalcy index of dual task cost during turning quantifies gait automaticity improvement in early-stage Parkinson's rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: The loss of gait automaticity is a key cause of motor deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, even at the early stage of the disease. Action observation training (AOT) shows promise in enhancing gait automaticity. However, effective assessment methods are lacking. We aimed to propose a novel gait normalcy index based on dual task cost (NIDTC) and evaluate its validity and responsiveness for early-stage PD rehabilitation. METHODS: Thirty early-stage PD patients were recruited and randomly assigned to the AOT or active control (CON) group. The proposed NIDTC during straight walking and turning tasks and clinical scale scores were measured before and after 12 weeks of rehabilitation. The correlations between the NIDTCs and clinical scores were analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient analysis to evaluate the construct validity. The rehabilitative changes were assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA, while the responsiveness of NIDTC was further compared by t tests. RESULTS: The turning-based NIDTC was significantly correlated with multiple clinical scales. Significant group-time interactions were observed for the turning-based NIDTC (F = 4.669, p = 0.042), BBS (F = 6.050, p = 0.022) and PDQ-39 (F = 7.772, p = 0.011) tests. The turning-based NIDTC reflected different rehabilitation effects between the AOT and CON groups, with the largest effect size (p = 0.020, Cohen's d = 0.933). CONCLUSION: The turning-based NIDTC exhibited the highest responsiveness for identifying gait automaticity improvement by providing a comprehensive representation of motor ability during dual tasks. It has great potential as a valid measure for early-stage PD diagnosis and rehabilitation assessment. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2300067657.

Characterization of Walking in Mild Parkinson's Disease: Reliability, Validity and Discriminant Ability of the Six-Minute Walk Test Instrumented with a Single Inertial Sensor.

Although the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) is among the recommended clinical tools to assess gait impairments in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), its standard clinical outcome consists only of the distance walked in 6 min. Integrating a single Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) could provide additional quantitative and objective information about gait quality complementing standard clinical outcome. This study aims to evaluate the test-retest reliability, validity and discriminant ability of gait parameters obtained by a single IMU during the 6MWT in subjects with mild PD. Twenty-two people with mild PD and ten healthy persons performed the 6MWT wearing an IMU placed on the lower trunk. Features belonging to rhythm and pace, variability, regularity, jerkiness, intensity, dynamic instability and symmetry domains were computed. Test-retest reliability was evaluated through the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), while concurrent validity was determined by Spearman's coefficient. Mann-Whitney U test and the Area Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve (AUC) were then applied to assess the discriminant ability of reliable and valid parameters. Results showed an overall high reliability (ICC ≥ 0.75) and multiple significant correlations with clinical scales in all domains. Several features exhibited significant alterations compared to healthy controls. Our findings suggested that the 6MWT instrumented with a single IMU can provide reliable and valid information about gait features in individuals with PD. This offers objective details about gait quality and the possibility of being integrated into clinical evaluations to better define walking rehabilitation strategies in a quick and easy way.

American Sign Language Recognition and Translation Using Perception Neuron Wearable Inertial Motion Capture System.

Sign language is designed as a natural communication method to convey messages among the deaf community. In the study of sign language recognition through wearable sensors, the data sources are limited, and the data acquisition process is complex. This research aims to collect an American sign language dataset with a wearable inertial motion capture system and realize the recognition and end-to-end translation of sign language sentences with deep learning models. In this work, a dataset consisting of 300 commonly used sentences is gathered from 3 volunteers. In the design of the recognition network, the model mainly consists of three layers: convolutional neural network, bi-directional long short-term memory, and connectionist temporal classification. The model achieves accuracy rates of 99.07% in word-level evaluation and 97.34% in sentence-level evaluation. In the design of the translation network, the encoder-decoder structured model is mainly based on long short-term memory with global attention. The word error rate of end-to-end translation is 16.63%. The proposed method has the potential to recognize more sign language sentences with reliable inertial data from the device.

Mobile Data Gathering and Preliminary Analysis for the Functional Reach Test.

The functional reach test (FRT) is a clinical tool used to evaluate dynamic balance and fall risk in older adults and those with certain neurological diseases. It provides crucial information for developing rehabilitation programs to improve balance and reduce fall risk. This paper aims to describe a new tool to gather and analyze the data from inertial sensors to allow automation and increased reliability in the future by removing practitioner bias and facilitating the FRT procedure. A new tool for gathering and analyzing data from inertial sensors has been developed to remove practitioner bias and streamline the FRT procedure. The study involved 54 senior citizens using smartphones with sensors to execute FRT. The methods included using a mobile app to gather data, using sensor-fusion algorithms like the Madgwick algorithm to estimate orientation, and attempting to estimate location by twice integrating accelerometer data. However, accurate position estimation was difficult, highlighting the need for more research and development. The study highlights the benefits and drawbacks of automated balance assessment testing with mobile device sensors, highlighting the potential of technology to enhance conventional health evaluations.

Sensor-Based Quantitative Assessment of Children's Fine Motor Competence: An Instrumented Version of the Placing Bricks Test.

The assessment of fine motor competence plays a pivotal role in neuropsychological examinations for the identification of developmental deficits. Several tests have been proposed for the characterization of fine motor competence, with evaluation metrics primarily based on qualitative observation, limiting quantitative assessment to measures such as test durations. The Placing Bricks (PB) test evaluates fine motor competence across the lifespan, relying on the measurement of time to completion. The present study aims at instrumenting the PB test using wearable inertial sensors to complement PB standard assessment with reliable and objective process-oriented measures of performance. Fifty-four primary school children (27 6-year-olds and 27 7-year-olds) performed the PB according to standard protocol with their dominant and non-dominant hands, while wearing two tri-axial inertial sensors, one per wrist. An ad hoc algorithm based on the analysis of forearm angular velocity data was developed to automatically identify task events, and to quantify phases and their variability. The algorithm performance was tested against video recordings in data from five children. Cycle and Placing durations showed a strong agreement between IMU- and Video-derived measurements, with a mean difference <0.1 s, 95% confidence intervals <50% median phase duration, and very high positive correlation (ρ > 0.9). Analyzing the whole population, significant differences were found for age, as follows: six-year-olds exhibited longer cycle durations and higher variability, indicating a stage of development and potential differences in hand dominance; seven-year-olds demonstrated quicker and less variable performance, aligning with the expected maturation and the refined motor control associated with dominant hand training during the first year of school. The proposed sensor-based approach allowed the quantitative assessment of fine motor competence in children, providing a portable and rapid tool for monitoring developmental progress.

Impact-Aware Foot Motion Reconstruction and Ramp/Stair Detection Using One Foot-Mounted Inertial Measurement Unit.

Motion reconstruction using wearable sensors enables broad opportunities for gait analysis outside laboratory environments. Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)-based foot trajectory reconstruction is an essential component of estimating the foot motion and user position required for any related biomechanics metrics. However, limitations remain in the reconstruction quality due to well-known sensor noise and drift issues, and in some cases, limited sensor bandwidth and range. In this work, to reduce drift in the height direction and handle the impulsive velocity error at heel strike, we enhanced the integration reconstruction with a novel kinematic model that partitions integration velocity errors into estimates of acceleration bias and heel strike vertical velocity error. Using this model, we achieve reduced height drift in reconstruction and simultaneously accomplish reliable terrain determination among level ground, ramps, and stairs. The reconstruction performance of the proposed method is compared against the widely used Error State Kalman Filter-based Pedestrian Dead Reckoning and integration-based foot-IMU motion reconstruction method with 15 trials from six subjects, including one prosthesis user. The mean height errors per stride are 0.03±0.08 cm on level ground, 0.95±0.37 cm on ramps, and 1.27±1.22 cm on stairs. The proposed method can determine the terrain types accurately by thresholding on the model output and demonstrates great reconstruction improvement in level-ground walking and moderate improvement on ramps and stairs.

Comparison of Machine Learning Algorithms Fed with Mobility-Related and Baropodometric Measurements to Identify Temporomandibular Disorders.

Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) refer to a group of conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint, causing pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and related muscles. The diagnosis of TMDs typically involves clinical assessment through operator-based physical examination, a self-reported questionnaire and imaging studies. To objectivize the measurement of TMD, this study aims at investigating the feasibility of using machine-learning algorithms fed with data gathered from low-cost and portable instruments to identify the presence of TMD in adult subjects. Through this aim, the experimental protocol involved fifty participants, equally distributed between TMD and healthy subjects, acting as a control group. The diagnosis of TMD was performed by a skilled operator through the typical clinical scale. Participants underwent a baropodometric analysis by using a pressure matrix and the evaluation of the cervical mobility through inertial sensors. Nine machine-learning algorithms belonging to support vector machine, k-nearest neighbours and decision tree algorithms were compared. The k-nearest neighbours algorithm based on cosine distance was found to be the best performing, achieving performances of 0.94, 0.94 and 0.08 for the accuracy, F1-score and G-index, respectively. These findings open the possibility of using such methodology to support the diagnosis of TMDs in clinical environments.

Urban Pedestrian Routes' Accessibility Assessment Using Geographic Information System Processing and Deep Learning-Based Object Detection.

The need to establish safe, accessible, and inclusive pedestrian routes is considered one of the European Union's main priorities. We have developed a method of assessing pedestrian mobility in the surroundings of urban public buildings to evaluate the level of accessibility and inclusion, especially for people with reduced mobility. In the first stage of assessment, artificial intelligence algorithms were used to identify pedestrian crossings and the precise geographical location was determined by deep learning-based object detection with satellite or aerial orthoimagery. In the second stage, Geographic Information System techniques were used to create network models. This approach enabled the verification of the level of accessibility for wheelchair users in the selected study area and the identification of the most suitable route for wheelchair transit between two points of interest. The data obtained were verified using inertial sensors to corroborate the horizontal continuity of the routes. The study findings are of direct benefit to the users of these routes and are also valuable for the entities responsible for ensuring and maintaining the accessibility of pedestrian routes.

Wearable Multi-Sensor Positioning Prototype for Rowing Technique Evaluation.

The goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of a wearable multi-sensor positioning prototype to be used as a training tool to evaluate rowing technique and to determine the positioning accuracy using multiple mathematical models and estimation methods. The wearable device consists of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. An experiment on a rowing shell was conducted to evaluate the performance of the system on a rower's wrist, against a centimeter-level GNSS reference trajectory. This experiment analyzed the rowing motion in multiple navigation frames and with various positioning methods. The results show that the wearable device prototype is a viable option for rowing technique analysis; the system was able to provide the position, velocity, and attitude of a rower's wrist, with a positioning accuracy ranging between ±0.185 m and ±1.656 m depending on the estimation method.

Innovative Detection and Segmentation of Mobility Activities in Patients Living with Parkinson's Disease Using a Single Ankle-Positioned Smartwatch.

BACKGROUND: The automatic detection of activities of daily living (ADL) is necessary to improve long-term home-based monitoring of Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms. While most body-worn sensor algorithms for ADL detection were developed using laboratory research systems covering full-body kinematics, it is now crucial to achieve ADL detection using a single body-worn sensor that remains commercially available and affordable for ecological use. AIM: to detect and segment Walking, Turning, Sitting-down, and Standing-up activities of patients with PD using a Smartwatch positioned at the ankle. METHOD: Twenty-two patients living with PD performed a Timed Up and Go (TUG) task three times before engaging in cleaning ADL in a simulated free-living environment during a 3 min trial. Accelerations and angular velocities of the right or left ankle were recorded in three dimensions using a Smartwatch. The TUG task was used to develop detection algorithms for Walking, Turning, Sitting-down, and Standing-up, while the 3 min trial in the free-living environment was used to test and validate these algorithms. Sensitivity, specificity, and F-scores were calculated based on a manual segmentation of ADL. RESULTS: Sensitivity, specificity, and F-scores were 96.5%, 94.7%, and 96.0% for Walking; 90.0%, 93.6%, and 91.7% for Turning; 57.5%, 70.5%, and 52.3% for Sitting-down; and 57.5%, 72.9%, and 54.1% for Standing-up. The median of time difference between the manual and automatic segmentation was 1.31 s for Walking, 0.71 s for Turning, 2.75 s for Sitting-down, and 2.35 s for Standing-up. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that segmenting ADL to characterize the mobility of people with PD based on a single Smartwatch can be comparable to manual segmentation while requiring significantly less time. While Walking and Turning were well detected, Sitting-down and Standing-up will require further investigation to develop better algorithms. Nonetheless, these achievements increase the odds of success in implementing wearable technologies for PD monitoring in ecological environments.

Dynamic Stability, Symmetry, and Smoothness of Gait in People with Neurological Health Conditions.

Neurological disorders such as stroke, Parkinson's disease (PD), and severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) are leading global causes of disability and mortality. This study aimed to assess the ability to walk of patients with sTBI, stroke, and PD, identifying the differences in dynamic postural stability, symmetry, and smoothness during various dynamic motor tasks. Sixty people with neurological disorders and 20 healthy participants were recruited. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors were employed to measure spatiotemporal parameters and gait quality indices during different motor tasks. The Mini-BESTest, Berg Balance Scale, and Dynamic Gait Index Scoring were also used to evaluate balance and gait. People with stroke exhibited the most compromised biomechanical patterns, with lower walking speed, increased stride duration, and decreased stride frequency. They also showed higher upper body instability and greater variability in gait stability indices, as well as less gait symmetry and smoothness. PD and sTBI patients displayed significantly different temporal parameters and differences in stability parameters only at the pelvis level and in the smoothness index during both linear and curved paths. This study provides a biomechanical characterization of dynamic stability, symmetry, and smoothness in people with stroke, sTBI, and PD using an IMU-based ecological assessment.

Assessing Motor Variability during Squat: The Reliability of Inertial Devices in Resistance Training.

Movement control can be an indicator of how challenging a task is for the athlete, and can provide useful information to improve training efficiency and prevent injuries. This study was carried out to determine whether inertial measurement units (IMU) can provide reliable information on motion variability during strength exercises, focusing on the squat. Sixty-six healthy, strength-trained young adults completed a two-day protocol, where the variability in the squat movement was analyzed at two different loads (30% and 70% of one repetition maximum) using inertial measurement units and a force platform. The time series from IMUs and force platforms were analyzed using linear (standard deviation) and non-linear (detrended fluctuation analysis, sample entropy and fuzzy entropy) measures. Reliability was analyzed for both IMU and force platform using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the standard error of measurement. Standard deviation, detrended fluctuation analysis, sample entropy, and fuzzy entropy from the IMUs time series showed moderate to good reliability values (ICC: 0.50-0.85) and an acceptable error. The study concludes that IMUs are reliable tools for analyzing movement variability in strength exercises, providing accessible options for performance monitoring and training optimization. These findings have implications for the design of more effective strength training programs, emphasizing the importance of movement control in enhancing athletic performance and reducing injury risks.

Estimation of Gait Parameters for Adults with Surface Electromyogram Based on Machine Learning Models.

Gait analysis has been studied over the last few decades as the best way to objectively assess the technical outcome of a procedure designed to improve gait. The treating physician can understand the type of gait problem, gain insight into the etiology, and find the best treatment with gait analysis. The gait parameters are the kinematics, including the temporal and spatial parameters, and lack the activity information of skeletal muscles. Thus, the gait analysis measures not only the three-dimensional temporal and spatial graphs of kinematics but also the surface electromyograms (sEMGs) of the lower limbs. Now, the shoe-worn GaitUp Physilog® wearable inertial sensors can easily measure the gait parameters when subjects are walking on the general ground. However, it cannot measure muscle activity. The aim of this study is to measure the gait parameters using the sEMGs of the lower limbs. A self-made wireless device was used to measure the sEMGs from the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius muscles of the left and right feet. Twenty young female subjects with a skeletal muscle index (SMI) below 5.7 kg/m2 were recruited for this study and examined by the InBody 270 instrument. Four parameters of sEMG were used to estimate 23 gait parameters. They were measured using the GaitUp Physilog® wearable inertial sensors with three machine learning models, including random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), and XGBoost. The results show that 14 gait parameters could be well-estimated, and their correlation coefficients are above 0.800. This study signifies a step towards a more comprehensive analysis of gait with only sEMGs.

A Robust Deep Feature Extraction Method for Human Activity Recognition Using a Wavelet Based Spectral Visualisation Technique.

Human Activity Recognition (HAR), alongside Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), are integral components of smart homes, sports, surveillance, and investigation activities. To recognize daily activities, researchers are focusing on lightweight, cost-effective, wearable sensor-based technologies as traditional vision-based technologies lack elderly privacy, a fundamental right of every human. However, it is challenging to extract potential features from 1D multi-sensor data. Thus, this research focuses on extracting distinguishable patterns and deep features from spectral images by time-frequency-domain analysis of 1D multi-sensor data. Wearable sensor data, particularly accelerator and gyroscope data, act as input signals of different daily activities, and provide potential information using time-frequency analysis. This potential time series information is mapped into spectral images through a process called use of 'scalograms', derived from the continuous wavelet transform. The deep activity features are extracted from the activity image using deep learning models such as CNN, MobileNetV3, ResNet, and GoogleNet and subsequently classified using a conventional classifier. To validate the proposed model, SisFall and PAMAP2 benchmark datasets are used. Based on the experimental results, this proposed model shows the optimal performance for activity recognition obtaining an accuracy of 98.4% for SisFall and 98.1% for PAMAP2, using Morlet as the mother wavelet with ResNet-101 and a softmax classifier, and outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms.

Design and Modelling of MEMS Vibrating Internal Ring Gyroscopes for Harsh Environments.

This paper presents a design, model, and comparative analysis of two internal MEMS vibrating ring gyroscopes for harsh environmental conditions. The proposed design investigates the symmetric structure of the vibrating ring gyroscopes that operate at the identical shape of wine glass mode resonance frequencies for both driving and sensing purposes. This approach improves the gyroscope's sensitivity and precision in rotational motion. The analysis starts with an investigation of the dynamic behaviour of the vibrating ring gyroscope with the detailed derivation of motion equations. The design geometry, meshing technology, and simulation results were comprehensively evaluated on two internal vibrating ring gyroscopes. The two designs are distinguished by their support spring configurations and internal ring structures. Design I consists of eight semicircular support springs and Design II consists of sixteen semicircular support springs. These designs were modelled and analyzed using finite element analysis (FEA) in Ansys 2023 R1 software. This paper further evaluates static and dynamic performance, emphasizing mode matching and temperature stability. The results reveal that Design II, with additional support springs, offers better mode matching, higher resonance frequencies, and better thermal stability compared to Design I. Additionally, electrostatic, modal, and harmonic analyses highlight the gyroscope's behaviour under varying DC voltages and environmental conditions. Furthermore, this study investigates the impact of temperature fluctuations on performance, demonstrating the robustness of the designs within a temperature range from -100 °C to 100 °C. These research findings suggest that the internal vibrating ring gyroscopes are highly suitable for harsh conditions such as high temperature and space applications.

Balance telerehabilitation and wearable technology for people with Parkinson's disease (TelePD trial).

BACKGROUND: Balance impairments, that lead to falls, are one of the main symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Telerehabilitation is becoming more common for people with PD; however, balance is particularly challenging to assess and treat virtually. The feasibility and efficacy of virtual assessment and virtual treatment of balance in people with PD are unknown. The present study protocol has three aims: I) to determine if a virtual balance and gait assessment (instrumented L-shape mobility test) with wearable sensors can predict a gold-standard, in-person clinical assessment of balance, the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest); II) to explore the effects of 12 sessions of balance telerehabilitation and unsupervised home exercises on balance, gait, executive function, and clinical scales; and III) to explore if improvements after balance telerehabilitation transfer to daily-life mobility, as measured by instrumented socks with inertial sensors worn for 7 days. METHODS: The TelePD Trial is a prospective, single-center, parallel-group, single-blind, pilot, randomized, controlled trial. This trial will enroll 80 eligible people with PD. Participants will be randomized at a 1:1 ratio into receiving home-based balance exercises in either: 1) balance telerehabilitation (experimental group, n = 40) or 2) unsupervised exercises (control group, n = 40). Both groups will perform 12 sessions of exercise at home that are 60 min long. The primary outcome will be Mini-BESTest. The secondary outcomes will be upper and lower body gait metrics from a prescribed task (instrumented L-shape mobility test); daily-life mobility measures over 7 days with wearable sensors in socks, instrumented executive function tests, and clinical scales. Baseline testing and 7 days of daily-life mobility measurement will occur before and after the intervention period. CONCLUSION: The TelePD Trial will be the first to explore the usefulness of using wearable sensor-based measures of balance and gait remotely to assess balance, the feasibility and efficacy of balance telerehabilitation in people with PD, and the translation of balance improvements after telerehabilitation to daily-life mobility. These results will help to develop a more effective home-based balance telerehabilitation and virtual assessment that can be used remotely in people with balance impairments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05680597).

Stability of sensor-based gait parameters reassessed after a period of one year in people with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there are several studies showing that wearable inertial sensors are highly sensitive in the detection of gait disturbances in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), showing excellent reliability within one or 7-14 days. However, it is not known how stable these gait parameters remain over a longer period of time. This is surprising, because many treatments last longer than two weeks. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine gait parameters obtained by means of wearable inertial sensors during a 6-min walk and to reassess these parameters after a period of one year. METHODS: Fifty PwMS (without a relapse or a recent change in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) or treatment) and 20 healthy participants were examined at two assessment points (interval between assessments: 14.4 ± 6.6 months). At each assessment point, all participants had to complete a 6-min walking test, an observer-rater test (Berg Balance Scale, BBS) and a Timed-up and Go Test (TUG). To measure mean gait parameters (i.e. walking speed, stride length, stride time, the duration of the stance and swing phase and minimum toe-to-floor distance), as well as the intraindividual standard deviation of each mean gait parameter, wearable inertial sensors were utilized. RESULTS: We found that even after one year all mean gait parameters showed excellent Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC between 0.75 and 0.95) in PwMS. Looking at MS subgroups, the ICCs were slightly higher in MS subgroup 2 (EDSS 2.0-5.0) than those in MS subgroup 1 (EDSS 0.0-1.5) and healthy controls. Compared to the mean gait parameters, parameters of gait variability showed only good-to-fair ICC values in PwMS. Concerning BBS and TUG, the ICC values after one year were close to the ICC values of the measured mean gait parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the excellent stability of mean gait parameters after one year, these sensor-based gait parameters can be identified as clinically relevant markers to evaluate treatment effects over a longer (several months) period of time in MS.

A hybrid linear discriminant analysis and genetic algorithm to create a linear model of aging when performing motor tasks through inertial sensors positioned on the hand and forearm.

BACKGROUND: During the aging process, cognitive functions and performance of the muscular and neural system show signs of decline, thus making the elderly more susceptible to disease and death. These alterations, which occur with advanced age, affect functional performance in both the lower and upper members, and consequently human motor functions. Objective measurements are important tools to help understand and characterize the dysfunctions and limitations that occur due to neuromuscular changes related to advancing age. Therefore, the objective of this study is to attest to the difference between groups of young and old individuals through manual movements and whether the combination of features can produce a linear correlation concerning the different age groups. METHODS: This study counted on 99 participants, these were divided into 8 groups, which were grouped by age. The data collection was performed using inertial sensors (positioned on the back of the hand and on the back of the forearm). Firstly, the participants were divided into groups of young and elderly to verify if the groups could be distinguished through the features alone. Following this, the features were combined using the linear discriminant analysis (LDA), which gave rise to a singular feature called the LDA-value that aided in verifying the correlation between the different age ranges and the LDA-value. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that 125 features are able to distinguish the difference between the groups of young and elderly individuals. The use of the LDA-value allows for the obtaining of a linear model of the changes that occur with aging in the performance of tasks in line with advancing age, the correlation obtained, using Pearson's coefficient, was 0.86. CONCLUSION: When we compare only the young and elderly groups, the results indicate that there is a difference in the way tasks are performed between young and elderly individuals. When the 8 groups were analyzed, the linear correlation obtained was strong, with the LDA-value being effective in obtaining a linear correlation of the eight groups, demonstrating that although the features alone do not demonstrate gradual changes as a function of age, their combination established these changes.

Tracking and evaluating motion skills in laparoscopy with inertial sensors.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of surgical instrument motion is applicable in surgical skill assessment and monitoring of the learning progress in laparoscopy. Current commercial instrument tracking technology (optical or electromagnetic) has specific limitations and is expensive. Therefore, in this study, we apply inexpensive, off-the-shelf inertial sensors to track laparoscopic instruments in a training scenario. METHODS: We calibrated two laparoscopic instruments to the inertial sensor and investigated its accuracy on a 3D-printed phantom. In a user study during a one-week laparoscopy training course with medical students and physicians, we then documented and compared the training effect in laparoscopic tasks on a commercially available laparoscopy trainer (Laparo Analytic, Laparo Medical Simulators, Wilcza, Poland) and the newly developed tracking setup. RESULTS: Eighteen participants (twelve medical students and six physicians) participated in the study. The student subgroup showed significantly poorer results for the count of swings (CS) and count of rotations (CR) at the beginning of the training compared to the physician subgroup (p = 0.012 and p = 0.042). After training, the student subgroup showed significant improvements in the rotatory angle sum, CS, and CR (p = 0.025, p = 0.004 and p = 0.024). After training, there were no significant differences between medical students and physicians. There was a strong correlation between the measured learning success (LS) from the data of our inertial measurement unit system (LSIMU) and the Laparo Analytic (LSLap) (Pearson's r = 0.79). CONCLUSION: In the current study, we observed a good and valid performance of inertial measurement units as a possible tool for instrument tracking and surgical skill assessment. Moreover, we conclude that the sensor can meaningfully examine the learning progress of medical students in an ex-vivo setting.