Exploring the novel sensor system for detecting postural reactions among healthy younger adults: a pilot study

Ooi, Xin Rou (2024) Exploring the novel sensor system for detecting postural reactions among healthy younger adults: a pilot study. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Background and Objective: Postural control is crucial for stability and fall prevention. However, traditional clinical methods are often subjective, exhibit examiner’s biases and lack sensitivity. Recent sensor-based technologies offer objective measurements but are costly, less portable, and require space and complex setups. This study explores a novel system with six lightweight sensors strategically placed on anatomical landmarks to detect postural changes. The objectives of this study were: (1) analyzing the measurement accuracy of the sensor system in capturing and quantifying real-time postural changes, (2) evaluating the intra-session reliability of the sensors in detecting postural changes over repeated trials, and (3) determining the concurrent validity of the sensor system against the gold standard MDRT. Methods: 58 participants were recruited for this study through face-to-face and social media. After screening for eligibility, participants performed the MDRT while the sensor system simultaneously recorded postural changes. Sensor data on reach distances were processed using Blender; while MDRT data on reach distances were collected manually. Results: The key findings were: (1) the sensor system does not accurately capture and quantify real-time postural changes (2) there is significant intra�session reliability of the sensors in detecting postural changes over repeated trials. (ICC>0.6, p<0.001) and (3) there is no significant correlation between the postural change measurements from the sensor system and MDRT, as FR (rs= -0.307, p=0.020) and LR (rs= -0.285, p=0.031) show significantly poor negative correlations; while BR (rs= -0.145, p=0.281) and RR (rs= -0.052, p=0.702) show no correlations. Thus, the overall relationship is not strong enough to support the alternate hypothesis. Conclusion: The current study shows the sensor system lacked accuracy detecting postural reactions. While offering a cost-effective and portable solution, improvements in sensor sensitivity, calibration, and connectivity are needed. Future research should focus on refining the system and conducting longitudinal studies to enhance its applicability across diverse populations. Keywords: Sensor system, Postural Reactions, Pilot study

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