HERMES: Mobile system for instability analysis and balance assessment
Venue
ACM Transactions on Embedded Computing Systems (TECS), vol. 12 (2013), 57:1-57:24
Publication Year
2013
Authors
Hyduke Noshadi, Foad Dabiri, Shaun Ahmadian, Navid Amini, Majid Sarrafzadeh
BibTeX
Abstract
We introduce Hermes, a lightweight smart shoe and its supporting infrastructure
aimed at extending gait and instability analysis and human instability/balance
monitoring outside of a laboratory environment. We aimed to create a scientific
tool capable of high-level measures, by combining embedded sensing, signal
processing and modeling techniques. Hermes monitors walking behavior and uses an
instability assessment model to generate quantitative value with episodes of
activity identified by physician, researchers or investigators as important. The
underlying instability assessment model incorporates variability and correlation of
features extracted during ambulation that have been identified by geriatric motion
study experts as precursor to instability, balance abnormality and possible fall
risk. Hermes provides a mobile, affordable and long-term instability analysis and
detection system that is customizable to individual users, and is context-aware,
with the capability of being guided by experts. Our experiments demonstrate the
feasibility of our model and the complimentary role our system can play by
providing long-term monitoring of patients outside a hospital or clinical setting
at a reduced cost, with greater user convenience, compliance and inference
capabilities that meet the physician's or investigator's needs.
