Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

Purpose: As the instrumented insole is for a wide commercial range available in the retail trade, this study aims to reduce its overall cost using less sensors with carrying out an effective risk of falling evaluation.

Methods: We compared the effect of reducing balance parameters by using four and three force sensing resistors (FSRs) of an instrumented insole. The data were previously collected among elderly participants during a Timed Up and Go (TUG) test.

Results: While reducing the number of balance parameters, during sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit activities, the risk scores using four FSRs were not significantly different compared with three FSRs. Parameters reduction did not show any significant loss of information among the study population using four FSRs. For certain configurations of three FSRs, a significant effect of loss information was found in the study participants, which revealed the importance of investigating the sensor locations in the process.

Conclusions: We concluded that it is feasible to estimate a risk index during a TUG test not only after reducing the number of needed sensing units from four to three FSRs but also after reducing the number of balance parameters. The three FSRs should be located at strategic positions to avoid a significant loss of information.