Development and validation of a clinic based balance assessment technology

Falls in the elderly are a major problem worldwide, with enormous associated societal costs. Deficits in balance and postural control have long been associated with falls risk in elderly adults. The gold standard for quantitative assessment of human balance in a clinical setting is the force plate which is highly expensive, non-portable and requires specialized personnel to operate. The present study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of a portable quantitative balance measurement technology compared to the forceplate. Two participants (1 male, 1 female) performed sixteen balance trials each (eight eyes open and eight eyes closed). Simultaneous data were recorded from a portable pressure sensor platform and a laboratory grade force platform. Standard centre of pressure (COP) metrics from both modalities were compared and high levels of agreement in terms of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), mean absolute error (MAE) and mean percentage error (MPE) were found.