Charlotte Jen
Research Mentor(s): Thomas Best
Mentor Department: University of Michigan
Authors:
Session: Session 6 (3:00pm – 3:50pm)
Presentation Type: Poster 69
Abstract
In clinical settings, accurately understanding a patient’s needs for balance training requires explicit data that shows the relationship between the feet and the point on the feet where their weight is balanced while standing, i.e. the center of pressure. Being able to easily visualize an amputee’s center of pressure relative to where the feet are located is critical for observing how their weight is distributed across the prosthetic and the intact limb. The purpose of the development of this tool is to create a user-friendly and intuitive interface that tracks and produces a real-time feedback stream of an individual’s center of pressure data when standing on a Wii Balance Board. The tool is intended to be used by above-knee amputees in standing positions and was built in direct collaboration with clinicians to ensure it accurately aligns with their needs. The tool was built on the Unity cross-platform game engine, utilizing connection to the Wii Balance Board via Bluetooth to display an individual’s deviation from a predefined target threshold for their center of pressure with real-time data transmission. This threshold was made based on prior testing utilizing multiple ideal center of pressure values from individuals without amputations. The tool provides both patients and clinicians with a quantitative, real-time measure of center of pressure, expediting and improving the prosthesis fitting and training processes. The software’s capability to identify instantaneous center of pressure bias is vital in teaching patients how to use their new prostheses, ultimately acting as a valuable resource for clinicians to enhance patient care in the rehabilitation process.
