New posturographic assessment by means of novel e-textile and wireless socks device

Abstract

The quantitative assessment of the postural stability is allowed by means of the use of pressure or force plates which are able to record a CoP subject's trajectory during a quite standing. However, the pressure or force plates are commonly used in a clinical environment, due to their very complexity and expensiveness. So their applicability outside laboratories is extremely limited. New e-textile and wireless wearable sensor technologies enable to extend the posturography in new low-cost and home assessment contexts. Twenty posturographic tests has been performed on normal subjects at the same time both by pressure signals derived by Sensoria fitness (SF) e-textile socks and by a gold standard stabilometric Zebris platform (ZP). Preliminary results showed a significant agreement between SF and ZP COP measurements, suggesting a clinical use of Sensoria for low cost home care based balance impairment assessments.