Validation of mobile motion tracking technology for the assessment of human standing balance

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HeadCheck Health Incorporation is a new Canadian technology company interested in tracking human motion to assess standing balance and provide feedback to the user. HeadCheck Health is developing wearable devices that use inertial sensors to measure linear accelerations and relay the data to a portable device (phone or tablet) via Bluetooth to provide algorithm-generated metrics quantifying balance. Head motion tracked with inertial sensors, however, only provide an approximate assessment of standing balance and the current algorithm provides only one balance metric. Thus, the company currently needs to compare the accuracy of its prototype against research-grade technology and to develop new algorithms generating diverse balance metrics. The wearable sensor prototype needs to be tested with different levels of acceleration applied to the whole-body to determine its precision at quantifying balance metrics that can be used to reliably assess standing balance. The stakeholders at HeadCheck Health hope to expand the use of their wearable sensors to all areas of the health science and exercise markets, but have yet to assess the accuracy of tracking head motion and have not determined whether their measures encompass the scope of targeted daily-life situations and clinical assessments. The researchers in Neural Control of Posture & Movement Laboratory at UBC have a comprehensive understanding of tracking human motion to address the control of balance using various technologies in contexts ranging from standing, walking, clinical balance assessment tests, and external perturbations applied to humans. In collaboration with HeadCheck Health, we will investigate which variables can be extracted from the wearable sensor to provide informative, relevant balance metrics with the ultimate purpose of providing diverse feedback adapted to the user's need(s).**