Low-cost, Automated Assessment of Sit-To-Stand Movement in “Natural” Environments

Abstract

The ability to rise from a chair is a prerequisite for upright mobility and independent living. We are developing an inexpensive stereo based system capable of cheaply and automatically assessing the quality of “sit-tostand” movements in environments outside of clinics. Automated assessments have been designed to translate perceived kinematics onto assessment scores that are consistent with expert opinion on the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). In addition, automated assessments reveal movement strategies associated with age and disability, like the use of the arms while rising or excess extension at the knees. In this paper, we present preliminary work to translate perceived movement kinematics from community dwelling balance impaired elders onto expert assessments of sit-to-stand health. Our ultimate goal is to create automated tools to identify falls risk, quantify real-world movement changes that result from therapeutic interventions, and perform ergonomic analyses of elders’ seating arrangements in the home.