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Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics
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Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2020) | Viewed by 77382

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Stefano Rossi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: biomechanical engineering; motion analysis; gait analysis; rehabilitation engineering; rehabilitation robotics; sensors for rehabilitation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Kinematics and kinetics are often considered key descriptors for evaluating the human motion and they represent fundamental information to gather for: (i) clinics to objectively evaluate the severity level of neuromuscular diseases; (ii) sports to provide quantitative measures of athletes’ performance useful for coaching; and, (iii) robotics for a properly development of humanoids and/or robotic devices for rehabilitation.

Sensor-based systems permit objectivizing the measure of kinematic and kinetic variables, overcoming the intrinsic limitations related to the subjective evaluations for example through the administration of score-based scales. In this perspective, the evaluation of repeatability, accuracy, and reliability of clinical and performance indices can provide useful and standard tools for kinematic and kinetic assessments.

Nowadays, optoelectronic-based systems and force platforms are still considered the gold standard in the motor performance evaluation. Considering the constant technological development, measuring kinematic and kinetic variables is actually feasible also outside laboratory environments, guaranteeing the possibility to enlarge the application fields using novel wearable sensors.

Thus, this special issue aims at promoting innovative studies based on the application of sensor-based systems for kinematic and kinetic evaluations in clinics, sports, and robotics, the design and metrological characterization of novel sensors, as well as the implementation of original methodologies for data processing.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Rossi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Kinematics
  • kinetics
  • movement analysis
  • wearable sensors
  • sensor-based systems
  • gait analysis
  • biomechanics
  • rehabilitation
  • robotics
  • sports

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3478 KiB  
Article
Force Shadows: An Online Method to Estimate and Distribute Vertical Ground Reaction Forces from Kinematic Data
by Alexander Weidmann, Bertram Taetz, Matthias Andres, Felix Laufer and Gabriele Bleser
Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5709; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20195709 - 08 Oct 2020
Viewed by 3381
Abstract
Kinetic models of human motion rely on boundary conditions which are defined by the interaction of the body with its environment. In the simplest case, this interaction is limited to the foot contact with the ground and is given by the so called [...] Read more.
Kinetic models of human motion rely on boundary conditions which are defined by the interaction of the body with its environment. In the simplest case, this interaction is limited to the foot contact with the ground and is given by the so called ground reaction force (GRF). A major challenge in the reconstruction of GRF from kinematic data is the double support phase, referring to the state with multiple ground contacts. In this case, the GRF prediction is not well defined. In this work we present an approach to reconstruct and distribute vertical GRF (vGRF) to each foot separately, using only kinematic data. We propose the biomechanically inspired force shadow method (FSM) to obtain a unique solution for any contact phase, including double support, of an arbitrary motion. We create a kinematic based function, model an anatomical foot shape and mimic the effect of hip muscle activations. We compare our estimations with the measurements of a Zebris pressure plate and obtain correlations of 0.39≤r≤0.94 for double support motions and 0.83≤r≤0.87 for a walking motion. The presented data is based on inertial human motion capture, showing the applicability for scenarios outside the laboratory. The proposed approach has low computational complexity and allows for online vGRF estimation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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15 pages, 1185 KiB  
Article
An Evaluation of Three Kinematic Methods for Gait Event Detection Compared to the Kinetic-Based ‘Gold Standard’
by Nicole Zahradka, Khushboo Verma, Ahad Behboodi, Barry Bodt, Henry Wright and Samuel C. K. Lee
Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5272; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185272 - 15 Sep 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3522
Abstract
Video- and sensor-based gait analysis systems are rapidly emerging for use in ‘real world’ scenarios outside of typical instrumented motion analysis laboratories. Unlike laboratory systems, such systems do not use kinetic data from force plates, rather, gait events such as initial contact (IC) [...] Read more.
Video- and sensor-based gait analysis systems are rapidly emerging for use in ‘real world’ scenarios outside of typical instrumented motion analysis laboratories. Unlike laboratory systems, such systems do not use kinetic data from force plates, rather, gait events such as initial contact (IC) and terminal contact (TC) are estimated from video and sensor signals. There are, however, detection errors inherent in kinematic gait event detection methods (GEDM) and comparative study between classic laboratory and video/sensor-based systems is warranted. For this study, three kinematic methods: coordinate based treadmill algorithm (CBTA), shank angular velocity (SK), and foot velocity algorithm (FVA) were compared to ‘gold standard’ force plate methods (GS) for determining IC and TC in adults (n = 6), typically developing children (n = 5) and children with cerebral palsy (n = 6). The root mean square error (RMSE) values for CBTA, SK, and FVA were 27.22, 47.33, and 78.41 ms, respectively. On average, GED was detected earlier in CBTA and SK (CBTA: −9.54 ± 0.66 ms, SK: −33.41 ± 0.86 ms) and delayed in FVA (21.00 ± 1.96 ms). The statistical model demonstrated insensitivity to variations in group, side, and individuals. Out of three kinematic GEDMs, SK GEDM can best be used for sensor-based gait event detection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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15 pages, 6413 KiB  
Article
VI-Net—View-Invariant Quality of Human Movement Assessment
by Faegheh Sardari, Adeline Paiement, Sion Hannuna and Majid Mirmehdi
Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5258; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185258 - 15 Sep 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3177
Abstract
We propose a view-invariant method towards the assessment of the quality of human movements which does not rely on skeleton data. Our end-to-end convolutional neural network consists of two stages, where at first a view-invariant trajectory descriptor for each body joint is generated [...] Read more.
We propose a view-invariant method towards the assessment of the quality of human movements which does not rely on skeleton data. Our end-to-end convolutional neural network consists of two stages, where at first a view-invariant trajectory descriptor for each body joint is generated from RGB images, and then the collection of trajectories for all joints are processed by an adapted, pre-trained 2D convolutional neural network (CNN) (e.g., VGG-19 or ResNeXt-50) to learn the relationship amongst the different body parts and deliver a score for the movement quality. We release the only publicly-available, multi-view, non-skeleton, non-mocap, rehabilitation movement dataset (QMAR), and provide results for both cross-subject and cross-view scenarios on this dataset. We show that VI-Net achieves average rank correlation of 0.66 on cross-subject and 0.65 on unseen views when trained on only two views. We also evaluate the proposed method on the single-view rehabilitation dataset KIMORE and obtain 0.66 rank correlation against a baseline of 0.62. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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19 pages, 1128 KiB  
Article
Reliability and Repeatability Analysis of Indices to Measure Gait Deterioration in MS Patients during Prolonged Walking
by Juri Taborri, Valeria Studer, Paola Grossi, Laura Brambilla, Fabrizio Patanè, Maria Teresa Ferrò, Renato Mantegazza and Stefano Rossi
Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5063; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185063 - 06 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3221
Abstract
Gait deterioration caused by prolonged walking represents one of the main consequences of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aims at proposing quantitative indices to measure the gait deterioration effects. The experimental protocol consisted in a 6-min walking test and it involved nine patients [...] Read more.
Gait deterioration caused by prolonged walking represents one of the main consequences of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aims at proposing quantitative indices to measure the gait deterioration effects. The experimental protocol consisted in a 6-min walking test and it involved nine patients with MS and twenty-six healthy subjects. Pathology severity was assessed through the Expanded Disability Status Scale. Seven inertial units were used to gather lower limb kinematics. Gait variability and asymmetry were assessed by coefficient of variation (CoV) and symmetry index (SI), respectively. The evolution of ROM (range of motion), CoV, and SI was computed analyzing data divided into six 60-s subgroups. Maximum difference among subgroups and the difference between the first minute and the remaining five were computed. The indices were analyzed for intra- and inter-day reliability and repeatability. Correlation with clinical scores was also evaluated. Good to excellent reliability was found for all indices. The computed standard deviations allowed us to affirm the good repeatability of the indices. The outcomes suggested walking-related fatigue leads to an always more variable kinematics in MS, in terms of changes in ROM, increase of variability and asymmetry. The hip asymmetry strongly correlated with the clinical disability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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18 pages, 2576 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Validity and Reliability of A Low-Cost Microcontroller-Based Load Cell Amplifier for Measuring Lower Limb and Upper Limb Muscular Force
by Julie Gaudet and Grant Handrigan
Sensors 2020, 20(17), 4999; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20174999 - 03 Sep 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4646
Abstract
Lower and upper limb maximum muscular force development is an important indicator of physical capacity. Manual muscle testing, load cell coupled with a signal conditioner, and handheld dynamometry are three widely used techniques for measuring isometric muscle strength. Recently, there is a proliferation [...] Read more.
Lower and upper limb maximum muscular force development is an important indicator of physical capacity. Manual muscle testing, load cell coupled with a signal conditioner, and handheld dynamometry are three widely used techniques for measuring isometric muscle strength. Recently, there is a proliferation of low-cost tools that have potential to be used to measure muscle strength. This study examined both the criterion validity, inter-day reliability and intra-day reliability of a microcontroller-based load cell amplifier for quantifying muscle strength. To do so, a low-cost microcontroller-based load cell amplifier for measuring lower and upper limb maximal voluntary isometric muscular force was compared to a commercial grade signal conditioner and to a handheld dynamometer. The results showed that the microcontroller-based load cell amplifier correlated nearly perfectly (Pearson's R-values between 0.947 to 0.992) with the commercial signal conditioner and the handheld dynamometer, and showed good to excellent association when calculating ICC scores, with values of 0.9582 [95% C.I.: 0.9297–0.9752] for inter-day reliability and of 0.9269 [95% C.I.: 0.8909–0.9533] for session one, intra-day reliability. Such results may have implications for how the evaluation of muscle strength measurement is conducted in the future, particularly for offering a commercial-like grade quality, low cost, portable and flexible option. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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14 pages, 2952 KiB  
Article
Using Optical Tracking System Data to Measure Team Synergic Behavior: Synchronization of Player-Ball-Goal Angles in a Football Match
by Daniel Carrilho, Micael Santos Couceiro, João Brito, Pedro Figueiredo, Rui J. Lopes and Duarte Araújo
Sensors 2020, 20(17), 4990; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20174990 - 03 Sep 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4722
Abstract
The ecological dynamics approach to interpersonal relationships provides theoretical support to the use of kinematic data, obtained with sensor-based systems, in which players of a team are linked mainly by information from the performance environment. Our goal was to capture the properties of [...] Read more.
The ecological dynamics approach to interpersonal relationships provides theoretical support to the use of kinematic data, obtained with sensor-based systems, in which players of a team are linked mainly by information from the performance environment. Our goal was to capture the properties of synergic behavior in football, using spatiotemporal data from one match of the 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA, to explore the application of player-ball-goal angles in cluster phase analysis. Linear mixed effects models were used to test the statistical significance of different effects, such as: team, half(-time), role and pitch zones. Results showed that the cluster phase values (synchronization) for the home team, had a 3.812×10−2±0.536×10−2 increase with respect to the away team (X2(41)=259.8, p<0.001) and that changing the role from with ball to without ball increased synchronization by 16.715×10−2±0.283×10−2 (X2(41)=12227.0, p<0.001). The interaction between effects was also significant. The player-team relative phase, the player-ball-goal angles relative frequency and the team configurations, showed that variations of synchronization might indicate critical performance changes (ball possession changes, goals scored, etc.). This study captured the ongoing player-environment link and the properties of team synergic behavior, supporting the use of sensor-based data computations in the development of relevant indicators for tactical analysis in sports. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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29 pages, 3255 KiB  
Article
Recognition and Repetition Counting for Local Muscular Endurance Exercises in Exercise-Based Rehabilitation: A Comparative Study Using Artificial Intelligence Models
by Ghanashyama Prabhu, Noel E. O’Connor and Kieran Moran
Sensors 2020, 20(17), 4791; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20174791 - 25 Aug 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4069
Abstract
Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation requires patients to perform a set of certain prescribed exercises a specific number of times. Local muscular endurance exercises are an important part of the rehabilitation program. Automatic exercise recognition and repetition counting, from wearable sensor data, is an important [...] Read more.
Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation requires patients to perform a set of certain prescribed exercises a specific number of times. Local muscular endurance exercises are an important part of the rehabilitation program. Automatic exercise recognition and repetition counting, from wearable sensor data, is an important technology to enable patients to perform exercises independently in remote settings, e.g., their own home. In this paper, we first report on a comparison of traditional approaches to exercise recognition and repetition counting (supervised ML and peak detection) with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). We investigated CNN models based on the AlexNet architecture and found that the performance was better than the traditional approaches, for exercise recognition (overall F1-score of 97.18%) and repetition counting (±1 error among 90% observed sets). To the best of our knowledge, our approach of using a single CNN method for both recognition and repetition counting is novel. Also, we make the INSIGHT-LME dataset publicly available to encourage further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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26 pages, 5422 KiB  
Article
Validation of Marker-Less System for the Assessment of Upper Joints Reaction Forces in Exoskeleton Users
by Simone Pasinetti, Cristina Nuzzi, Nicola Covre, Alessandro Luchetti, Luca Maule, Mauro Serpelloni and Matteo Lancini
Sensors 2020, 20(14), 3899; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20143899 - 13 Jul 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3711
Abstract
This paper presents the validation of a marker-less motion capture system used to evaluate the upper limb stress of subjects using exoskeletons for locomotion. The system fuses the human skeletonization provided by commercial 3D cameras with forces exchanged by the user to the [...] Read more.
This paper presents the validation of a marker-less motion capture system used to evaluate the upper limb stress of subjects using exoskeletons for locomotion. The system fuses the human skeletonization provided by commercial 3D cameras with forces exchanged by the user to the ground through upper limbs utilizing instrumented crutches. The aim is to provide a low cost, accurate, and reliable technology useful to provide the trainer a quantitative evaluation of the impact of assisted gait on the subject without the need to use an instrumented gait lab. The reaction forces at the upper limbs’ joints are measured to provide a validation focused on clinically relevant quantities for this application. The system was used simultaneously with a reference motion capture system inside a clinical gait analysis lab. An expert user performed 20 walking tests using instrumented crutches and force platforms inside the observed volume. The mechanical model was applied to data from the system and the reference motion capture, and numerical simulations were performed to assess the internal joint reaction of the subject’s upper limbs. A comparison between the two results shows a root mean square error of less than 2% of the subject’s body weight. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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16 pages, 1390 KiB  
Article
Using a Motion Sensor to Categorize Nonspecific Low Back Pain Patients: A Machine Learning Approach
by Masoud Abdollahi, Sajad Ashouri, Mohsen Abedi, Nasibeh Azadeh-Fard, Mohamad Parnianpour, Kinda Khalaf and Ehsan Rashedi
Sensors 2020, 20(12), 3600; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20123600 - 26 Jun 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4843
Abstract
Nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) constitutes a critical health challenge that impacts millions of people worldwide with devastating health and socioeconomic consequences. In today’s clinical settings, practitioners continue to follow conventional guidelines to categorize NSLBP patients based on subjective approaches, such as the [...] Read more.
Nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) constitutes a critical health challenge that impacts millions of people worldwide with devastating health and socioeconomic consequences. In today’s clinical settings, practitioners continue to follow conventional guidelines to categorize NSLBP patients based on subjective approaches, such as the STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST). This study aimed to develop a sensor-based machine learning model to classify NSLBP patients into different subgroups according to quantitative kinematic data, i.e., trunk motion and balance-related measures, in conjunction with STarT output. Specifically, inertial measurement units (IMU) were attached to the trunks of ninety-four patients while they performed repetitive trunk flexion/extension movements on a balance board at self-selected pace. Machine learning algorithms (support vector machine (SVM) and multi-layer perceptron (MLP)) were implemented for model development, and SBST results were used as ground truth. The results demonstrated that kinematic data could successfully be used to categorize patients into two main groups: high vs. low-medium risk. Accuracy levels of ~75% and 60% were achieved for SVM and MLP, respectively. Additionally, among a range of variables detailed herein, time-scaled IMU signals yielded the highest accuracy levels (i.e., ~75%). Our findings support the improvement and use of wearable systems in developing diagnostic and prognostic tools for various healthcare applications. This can facilitate development of an improved, cost-effective quantitative NSLBP assessment tool in clinical and home settings towards effective personalized rehabilitation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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18 pages, 1627 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Effects of Kata and Kumite Techniques on Physical Performance in Elite Karatekas
by Luca Molinaro, Juri Taborri, Massimo Montecchiani and Stefano Rossi
Sensors 2020, 20(11), 3186; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113186 - 03 Jun 2020
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4243
Abstract
This study aimed at assessing physical performance of elite karatekas and non-karatekas. More specifically, effects of kumite and kata technique on joint mobility, body stability, and jumping ability were assessed by enrolling twenty-four karatekas and by comparing the results with 18 non-karatekas healthy [...] Read more.
This study aimed at assessing physical performance of elite karatekas and non-karatekas. More specifically, effects of kumite and kata technique on joint mobility, body stability, and jumping ability were assessed by enrolling twenty-four karatekas and by comparing the results with 18 non-karatekas healthy subjects. Sensor system was composed by a single inertial sensor and optical bars. Karatekas are generally characterized by better motor performance with respect non-karatekas, considering all the examined factors, i.e., mobility, stability, and jumping. In addition, the two techniques lead to a differentiation in joint mobility; in particular, kumite athletes are characterized by a greater shoulder extension and, in general, by a greater value of preferred velocity to perform joint movements. Conversely, kata athletes are characterized by a greater mobility of the ankle joint. By focusing on jumping skills, kata technique leads to an increase of the concentric phase when performing squat jump. Finally, kata athletes showed better stability in closed eyes condition. The outcomes reported here can be useful for optimizing coaching programs for both beginners and karatekas based on the specific selected technique. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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18 pages, 2045 KiB  
Article
Using Artificial Intelligence for Pattern Recognition in a Sports Context
by Ana Cristina Nunes Rodrigues, Alexandre Santos Pereira, Rui Manuel Sousa Mendes, André Gonçalves Araújo, Micael Santos Couceiro and António José Figueiredo
Sensors 2020, 20(11), 3040; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113040 - 27 May 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5129
Abstract
Optimizing athlete’s performance is one of the most important and challenging aspects of coaching. Physiological and positional data, often acquired using wearable devices, have been useful to identify patterns, thus leading to a better understanding of the game and, consequently, providing the opportunity [...] Read more.
Optimizing athlete’s performance is one of the most important and challenging aspects of coaching. Physiological and positional data, often acquired using wearable devices, have been useful to identify patterns, thus leading to a better understanding of the game and, consequently, providing the opportunity to improve the athletic performance. Even though there is a panoply of research in pattern recognition, there is a gap when it comes to non-controlled environments, as during sports training and competition. This research paper combines the use of physiological and positional data as sequential features of different artificial intelligence approaches for action recognition in a real match context, adopting futsal as its case study. The traditional artificial neural networks (ANN) is compared with a deep learning method, Long Short-Term Memory Network, and also with the Dynamic Bayesian Mixture Model, which is an ensemble classification method. The methods were used to process all data sequences, which allowed to determine, based on the balance between precision and recall, that Dynamic Bayesian Mixture Model presents a superior performance, with an F1 score of 80.54% against the 33.31% achieved by the Long Short-Term Memory Network and 14.74% achieved by ANN. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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17 pages, 5841 KiB  
Article
Monitoring and Assessment of Rehabilitation Progress on Range of Motion After Total Knee Replacement by Sensor-Based System
by Yo-Ping Huang, Yu-Yu Liu, Wei-Hsiu Hsu, Li-Ju Lai and Mel S. Lee
Sensors 2020, 20(6), 1703; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20061703 - 18 Mar 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4435
Abstract
For total knee replacement (TKR) patients, rehabilitation after the surgery is key to regaining mobility. This study proposes a sensor-based system for effectively monitoring rehabilitation progress after TKR. The system comprises a hardware module consisting of the triaxial accelerometer and gyroscope, a microcontroller, [...] Read more.
For total knee replacement (TKR) patients, rehabilitation after the surgery is key to regaining mobility. This study proposes a sensor-based system for effectively monitoring rehabilitation progress after TKR. The system comprises a hardware module consisting of the triaxial accelerometer and gyroscope, a microcontroller, and a Bluetooth module, and a software app for monitoring the motion of the knee joint. Three indices, namely the number of swings, the maximum knee flexion angle, and the duration of practice each time, were used as metrics to measure the knee rehabilitation progress. The proposed sensor device has advantages such as usability without spatiotemporal constraints and accuracy in monitoring the rehabilitation progress. The performance of the proposed system was compared with the measured range of motion of the Cybex isokinetic dynamometer (or Cybex) professional rehabilitation equipment, and the results revealed that the average absolute errors of the measured angles were between 1.65° and 3.27° for the TKR subjects, depending on the swing speed. Experimental results verified that the proposed system is effective and comparable with the professional equipment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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17 pages, 4233 KiB  
Article
Measuring Biomechanical Risk in Lifting Load Tasks Through Wearable System and Machine-Learning Approach
by Ilaria Conforti, Ilaria Mileti, Zaccaria Del Prete and Eduardo Palermo
Sensors 2020, 20(6), 1557; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20061557 - 11 Mar 2020
Cited by 52 | Viewed by 7529
Abstract
Ergonomics evaluation through measurements of biomechanical parameters in real time has a great potential in reducing non-fatal occupational injuries, such as work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Assuming a correct posture guarantees the avoidance of high stress on the back and on the lower extremities, while [...] Read more.
Ergonomics evaluation through measurements of biomechanical parameters in real time has a great potential in reducing non-fatal occupational injuries, such as work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Assuming a correct posture guarantees the avoidance of high stress on the back and on the lower extremities, while an incorrect posture increases spinal stress. Here, we propose a solution for the recognition of postural patterns through wearable sensors and machine-learning algorithms fed with kinematic data. Twenty-six healthy subjects equipped with eight wireless inertial measurement units (IMUs) performed manual material handling tasks, such as lifting and releasing small loads, with two postural patterns: correctly and incorrectly. Measurements of kinematic parameters, such as the range of motion of lower limb and lumbosacral joints, along with the displacement of the trunk with respect to the pelvis, were estimated from IMU measurements through a biomechanical model. Statistical differences were found for all kinematic parameters between the correct and the incorrect postures (p < 0.01). Moreover, with the weight increase of load in the lifting task, changes in hip and trunk kinematics were observed (p < 0.01). To automatically identify the two postures, a supervised machine-learning algorithm, a support vector machine, was trained, and an accuracy of 99.4% (specificity of 100%) was reached by using the measurements of all kinematic parameters as features. Meanwhile, an accuracy of 76.9% (specificity of 76.9%) was reached by using the measurements of kinematic parameters related to the trunk body segment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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Review

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25 pages, 1091 KiB  
Review
Shedding Light on Nocturnal Movements in Parkinson’s Disease: Evidence from Wearable Technologies
by Alessandro Zampogna, Alessandro Manoni, Francesco Asci, Claudio Liguori, Fernanda Irrera and Antonio Suppa
Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5171; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185171 - 10 Sep 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4980
Abstract
In Parkinson’s disease (PD), abnormal movements consisting of hypokinetic and hyperkinetic manifestations commonly lead to nocturnal distress and sleep impairment, which significantly impact quality of life. In PD patients, these nocturnal disturbances can reflect disease-related complications (e.g., nocturnal akinesia), primary sleep disorders (e.g., [...] Read more.
In Parkinson’s disease (PD), abnormal movements consisting of hypokinetic and hyperkinetic manifestations commonly lead to nocturnal distress and sleep impairment, which significantly impact quality of life. In PD patients, these nocturnal disturbances can reflect disease-related complications (e.g., nocturnal akinesia), primary sleep disorders (e.g., rapid eye movement behaviour disorder), or both, thus requiring different therapeutic approaches. Wearable technologies based on actigraphy and innovative sensors have been proposed as feasible solutions to identify and monitor the various types of abnormal nocturnal movements in PD. This narrative review addresses the topic of abnormal nocturnal movements in PD and discusses how wearable technologies could help identify and assess these disturbances. We first examine the pathophysiology of abnormal nocturnal movements and the main clinical and instrumental tools for the evaluation of these disturbances in PD. We then report and discuss findings from previous studies assessing nocturnal movements in PD using actigraphy and innovative wearable sensors. Finally, we discuss clinical and technical prospects supporting the use of wearable technologies for the evaluation of nocturnal movements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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41 pages, 3363 KiB  
Review
Smart Socks and In-Shoe Systems: State-of-the-Art for Two Popular Technologies for Foot Motion Analysis, Sports, and Medical Applications
by Andrei Drăgulinescu, Ana-Maria Drăgulinescu, Gabriela Zincă, Doina Bucur, Valentin Feieș and Dumitru-Marius Neagu
Sensors 2020, 20(15), 4316; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20154316 - 02 Aug 2020
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 14075
Abstract
The present paper reviews, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the most recent advances in research concerning two popular devices used for foot motion analysis and health monitoring: smart socks and in-shoe systems. The first one is representative of [...] Read more.
The present paper reviews, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the most recent advances in research concerning two popular devices used for foot motion analysis and health monitoring: smart socks and in-shoe systems. The first one is representative of textile-based systems, whereas the second one is one of the most used pressure sensitive insole (PSI) systems that is used as an alternative to smart socks. The proposed methods are reviewed for smart sock use in special medical applications, for gait and foot pressure analysis. The Pedar system is also shown, together with studies of validation and repeatability for Pedar and other in-shoe systems. Then, the applications of Pedar are presented, mainly in medicine and sports. Our purpose was to offer the researchers in this field a useful means to overview and select relevant information. Moreover, our review can be a starting point for new, relevant research towards improving the design and functionality of the systems, as well as extending the research towards other areas of applications using sensors in smart textiles and in-shoe systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor-Based Systems for Kinematics and Kinetics)
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