Sensors

Pressure injuries are largely preventable, yet they affect one in four Canadians across all healthcare settings. A key best practice to prevent and treat pressure injuries is to minimize prolonged tissue deformation by ensuring at-risk individuals are repositioned regularly (typically every 2 hours). However, adherence to repositioning is poor in clinical settings and expected to be even worse in homecare settings. Our team has designed a position detection system for home use that uses machine...

BackgroundWearable technology provides an opportunity for new ways of monitoring patient gait remotely, through at-home self-administered six-minute walk tests (6MWTs). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and repeatability of FeetMe(R) insoles, a wearable gait assessment device, for measuring the six-minute walking distance (6MWD) during tests conducted independently at home by healthy volunteers. MethodsParticipants (n=21) performed two 6MWTs at home while wearing the Fee...

In this ageing society, sarcopenia as a geriatric condition that can have significant negative impacts on an individuals quality of life. Sarcopenia is a kind of aged syndrome associated with loss of muscle mass and function, which may lead to falls, fractures, gait disorders or even mortality. There are multiple ways to diagnose sarcopenia, such as using Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) etc. to calculate muscle ...

Instrumented mouthguards (iMG) measure head kinematics in sport, but their measurements have not been validated at high levels of accelerations observed in those sports like rugby. In addition, the effects of filter cut-off frequency on the measured kinematics are still unknown. To address these questions, a drop testing helmeted head-form of an anthropometric testing device (ATD) was used to produce a range of accelerations and accurately control them. Peak linear acceleration (PLA), rotational...

Joint kinetics (e.g., moments and powers) are important markers of mobility and joint health but their measurement is generally limited to lab settings. However, we may be able to estimate kinetics with portable inertial measurement units (IMUs) by detecting important movement features that contribute to or occur simultaneously with kinetics. This study aimed to investigate whether early stance segment and joint angular velocities measured with IMUs correlate with early stance negative knee join...

BackgroundMotion sensors are widely used for gait analysis. ORPHE ANALYTICS is a motion-sensor-based gait analysis system. The validity of commercial gait analysis systems is of great interest to clinicians because calculating position/angle-level gait parameters using motion sensor data potentially produces an error in the integration process; moreover, the validity of ORPHE ANALYTICS has not yet been examined. Research questionHow valid are the position/angle-level gait parameters calculated ...

PurposeWe aimed to evaluate the applicability of the newly developed joint angle measurement system consisting of six-axis inertial measurement unit sensors and tablet-based application that measure and store angular velocity and acceleration data for estimating joint angles. Materials and MethodsThe tablet-based application was used to calculate the orientation angles from angular velocity and acceleration data measured using a single sensor. The relative angles were calculated using the data ...

The advancement of wearable technology has enhanced athlete monitoring across various sports and competitive levels. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) enable the quantification of external load at different anatomical locations, providing ecologically valid data in real-world sporting environments. This systematic review examines the prevalence, application, and methodological considerations of lower limb-worn IMUs in competitive sports outside laboratory settings. A comprehensive search across ...

The assessment of physical ability is a critical component in developing personalized exercise prescriptions, monitoring disease progression, and evaluating intervention outcomes across various clinical and general populations. This study evaluates how objective physical performance parameters, measured during a stepping in place (SIP) exercise via Ambulosono wearable system, relate to subjective perceptions of fatigue and breathlessness using Borg and Fatigue Scores. Our overall results show th...

Internal and external rotation of the shoulder is often challenging to quantify in the clinic. The current study evaluates a novel, engineered, wearable sensor system for improved internal and external shoulder rotation monitoring, and applies it in healthy individuals. Using the design principles of the Japanese art of kirigami (folding and cutting of paper to design 3D shapes), the sensor platform conforms to the shape of the shoulder with on-board strain gauges to measure movement. Our object...

BackgroundMarkerless motion analysis using deep learning is attracting attention in the field of rehabilitation; however, the three-dimensional measurement accuracy in finger joints, which are prone to self-occlusion, has not been sufficiently validated. This study aimed to validate the accuracy of finger joint angle measurements obtained using a marker-less system based on DeepLabCut (DLC) and Anipose by comparing it with the clinical standard of goniometric measurements. MethodsForty-one heal...

PurposeGait parameters are altered and asymmetrical in individual with transtibial amputation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effect of four different prosthetic feet on lower-limb biomechanics during gait. MethodsOne young adult with transtibial ampution performed four gait analysis sessions with four foot-ankle prosthesis (Variflex, Meridium, Echelon, Kinterra). Kinematic, kinetic parameters and gait symmetry were analyzed during different prosthesis conditions. Re...

Soft tissue deformation(STD) causes the most prominent source of error in skin marker (SM) based motion analysis, commonly referred to as Soft Tissue Artifact (STA). To compensate for its effect and to accurately assess in vivo joint kinematics, quantification of STD in three-dimension (3D) is essential. In the literature, different invasive and radiological approaches have been employed to study how STA propagates in joint kinematics. However, there is limited reference data extensively reporti...

IntroductionRemote grip strength assessment offers potential for scalable at-home health monitoring, yet most validated methods require in-person supervision. The Squegg Smart Dynamometer is a Bluetooth-enabled device designed for both supervised and remote app-guided, self-administered testing. Validating self-administered grip strength assessment is essential for clinical and research use. This study evaluated whether self-administered grip strength measurements with the Squegg device are comp...

BackgroundAccurate measurement of ankle range of motion (ROM) is essential for diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions, optimizing athletic performance, and managing neurological disorders such as Parkinsons disease. This study evaluates the novel Ambulosono device, a sensor-based tool, against the traditional goniometer for assessing Ankle ROM in healthy participants. MethodsA comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 54 healthy participants aged 15 to 24 years. Ankle ROM w...

Measuring joint range of motion has traditionally occurred with a universal goniometer, inclinometer, or expensive laboratory systems. The popularity of the inertial measuremen unit (IMU) is growing, enabling the small even single portable device to measure the range of motion. Until now, they were not used to assess hip joint range of motion. Our study aimed to check the validity of IMU in assessing a hip range of motion and compare them to other measurement devices - universal goniometer and i...

Femoral neck fractures pose significant morbidity and mortality risks, particularly among osteoporotic patients. This study aims to identify effective exercises for enhancing bone health and develop a neural network model to predict femoral neck strains during exercise using inertial measurement unit (IMU) data. We employed musculoskeletal modeling (MSK) and finite element (FE) analysis to assess femoral neck strains during various ballistic exercises--walking, running, countermovement jumps, sq...

Background and PurposeQuantitative assessment of reactive balance often requires large, costly equipment, limiting its use in clinical practice. This study investigated the inter-rater reliability of the instrumented lean-and-release (iLEAN) test, a manual reactive balance assessment designed to provide a practical alternative for physiotherapists. MethodsSixteen healthy young women wore knee braces, weighted vests, and ankle weights to simulate reduced physical function typical of older adults...

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to characterize the lower limb sagittal joint and elevation angles during walking in participants with asymptomatic genu recurvatum and compare it with control participants without knee deformation. The secondary objective is to study the influence of walking speed on these kinematic variables. MethodsThe spatio-temporal parameters and kinematics of the lower limb were recorded using an optoelectronic motion capture system in 26 partici-pants (n = 13 w...

Balancing tests in the field provide important information about the physical fitness and injury risk of athletes. These tests provide useful data on an athletes ability to maintain balance in dynamic and unforeseen circumstances, allowing for a more detailed assessment of their athletic performance. We have designed a novel balance test and tested main quality criteria and competitiveness for it. A total of 117 children (girls = 52.1%) aged 10.4 {+/-} 0.5 years participated in the tests. The ra...