Mobile foot-force measurement system for dynamic gait stability analysis

老年人和残疾人的生活质量在很大程度上取决于他们是否能够自由行走而不必担心摔倒。长者稳定行走的能力通常由照顾者（例如护士和物理治疗师）在将长者安置在长者宿舍或长期护理中心时评估。由于行走稳定性差是导致长者福尔斯跌倒的主要原因，因此，在更换药物、髋关节手术后恢复、安装腿部支具或特殊鞋履或改变环境后，评估长者行走稳定性也很重要。这对于最大限度地提高他们的安全性、独立性和生活质量至关重要。目前的方法评估步行稳定性的照顾者依赖于主观的方法来评价一个人的能力，执行某些任务，或错误的方法的基础上计时的人在执行task.The建议的设备是一个鞋鞋垫脚力测量系统，测量和记录的力量作用在许多点上的脚底当一个人走。该系统的获得将允许验证一种新方法，以评估可能有一些不稳定的人的稳定性，如身体残疾者和老年人。通过测量行走过程中作用在脚上的力，并将指示不稳定的各种不同参数组合成单个指标，可以对稳定性进行更客观、准确和可靠的评估。购买足力测量系统将允许验证这种专门针对老年人的新方法。它还将用于研究和设计新的鞋类，旨在当脚和身体变得不稳定时稳定脚。这项研究有望减少老年人和残疾人滑倒和福尔斯的事件，并降低医疗保健费用。

The quality of life of elderly and people with physical disabilities greatly depends on their ability to walk freely without the fear of falling. The ability of elderly to walk in a stable manner is commonly assessed by caregivers - such as nurses and physiotherapists, during placement of an elderly person in a residence for seniors or a long-term care centre. As poor walking stability is a major cause of falls in elderly, assessment of the stability of elderly in walking is also essential following a change of medication, recovery from hip surgery, fitting of a leg brace or special footwear, or change of environment. This is important in order to maximize their safety, independence, and quality of life. Current methods of assessing walking stability by caregivers relies on subjective methods of rating a person's abilities to perform certain tasks, or error-prone methods based on timing a person in carrying out a task.The proposed equipment is a shoe-insole foot-force measurement system that measures and records the forces acting at numerous points on the sole of the foot when a person is walking. Acquisition of the system will permit verification of a new method to assess stability in people who may likely have some instability, such as people with physical disabilities and elderly. By measuring the forces acting on the foot during walking, and combining various different parameters that indicate instability, into a single index, a more objective, accurate and reliable assessment of stability can be made. Acquisition of the foot-force measurement system will permit verification of this new approach specifically for the elderly population. It will also be used in the research and design of new footwear aimed to stabilize the foot when the foot and body become unstable. This research is expected to lead to reduced incidents of slips and falls in elderly and people with disabilities, and reduced health care costs.