Real Time Auditory Biofeedback for Dynamic Balance Control in Walking
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Masters)
Major/Field of Study
Biomechanics
Advisor Information
Nathaniel H. Hunt
Location
MBSC Ballroom Poster # 1307 - G (Masters)
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
24-3-2023 2:30 PM
End Date
24-3-2023 3:45 PM
Abstract
Deficits of balance control are frequently associated with conditions in which sensory information supplied to the CNS is deficient and highly fragmented, such as with vestibular disorders or general aging. Methods of sensory augmentation have been shown to be beneficial in supplementing this broken picture of interoceptive and exteroceptive information. Sensory augmentation is defined in the current literature as a form of therapeutic modality that utilizes various biomechanical technologies to measure kinematic variables and subsequently relay information about body posture and orientation in space via a form of understandable sensory stimuli. While past sensory augmentation research has primarily focused on the use of feedback modalities for improving static balance control, the effectiveness of such devices in assisting balance during dynamic locomotive tasks is widely unknown. Thus, the purpose of the future study is to investigate the efficacy of using real-time auditory feedback system during destabilizing walking conditions to minimize side-to-side trunk lean and improve dynamic balance. To attain this research goal, a pilot study was performed to determine appropriate design parameters for the auditory stimulus and perturbed walking condition. One healthy female adult participated in this pilot study. The subject was asked to walk on the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) (Motek Medical BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) platform treadmill system during normal and perturbed walking conditions. Perturbations were randomly generated, spanning a range of -10o to 10o of platform roll. Calculations of the subject’s trunk lean in the frontal plane were derived from motion capture data in real time and mapped into auditory cues in the form of metronomic beeping. Six auditory zones corresponding to increasing degree of trunk lean were predefined, with pitch and rate of the auditory stimulus increasing by increments of 0.25 Hz and 0.50 Hz at each subsequent zone reached. Results from this pilot study showed that mean peak amplitude of trunk sway exhibited during normal, unperturbed walking was 3.53o + 0.20o in comparison to 5.70o + 0.77o during perturbed walking. Additionally, trunk angle displacement spanned a range of 7.95o during normal walking while perturbed walking increased range to 14.44o. The results from this study suggest that the severity of perturbations delivered, and the chosen range of auditory zones is adequate for the future study protocol. The future study will aim to test this auditory feedback system to increase balance control during destabilizing walking conditions.
Scheduling
9:15-10:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m.-Noon, 1-2:15 p.m., 2:30 -3:45 p.m.
Real Time Auditory Biofeedback for Dynamic Balance Control in Walking
MBSC Ballroom Poster # 1307 - G (Masters)
Deficits of balance control are frequently associated with conditions in which sensory information supplied to the CNS is deficient and highly fragmented, such as with vestibular disorders or general aging. Methods of sensory augmentation have been shown to be beneficial in supplementing this broken picture of interoceptive and exteroceptive information. Sensory augmentation is defined in the current literature as a form of therapeutic modality that utilizes various biomechanical technologies to measure kinematic variables and subsequently relay information about body posture and orientation in space via a form of understandable sensory stimuli. While past sensory augmentation research has primarily focused on the use of feedback modalities for improving static balance control, the effectiveness of such devices in assisting balance during dynamic locomotive tasks is widely unknown. Thus, the purpose of the future study is to investigate the efficacy of using real-time auditory feedback system during destabilizing walking conditions to minimize side-to-side trunk lean and improve dynamic balance. To attain this research goal, a pilot study was performed to determine appropriate design parameters for the auditory stimulus and perturbed walking condition. One healthy female adult participated in this pilot study. The subject was asked to walk on the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) (Motek Medical BV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) platform treadmill system during normal and perturbed walking conditions. Perturbations were randomly generated, spanning a range of -10o to 10o of platform roll. Calculations of the subject’s trunk lean in the frontal plane were derived from motion capture data in real time and mapped into auditory cues in the form of metronomic beeping. Six auditory zones corresponding to increasing degree of trunk lean were predefined, with pitch and rate of the auditory stimulus increasing by increments of 0.25 Hz and 0.50 Hz at each subsequent zone reached. Results from this pilot study showed that mean peak amplitude of trunk sway exhibited during normal, unperturbed walking was 3.53o + 0.20o in comparison to 5.70o + 0.77o during perturbed walking. Additionally, trunk angle displacement spanned a range of 7.95o during normal walking while perturbed walking increased range to 14.44o. The results from this study suggest that the severity of perturbations delivered, and the chosen range of auditory zones is adequate for the future study protocol. The future study will aim to test this auditory feedback system to increase balance control during destabilizing walking conditions.