Gait Analysis with an Integrated Mobile Robot and Wearable Sensor System Reveals Associations between Cognitive Ability and Dynamic Balance in Older Adults

Qingya Zhao, Zhuo Chen, Corey D. Landis, Ashley Lytle, Ashwini K. Rao, Yi Guo, Damiano Zanottot

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Gait abnormalities and postural instability have been linked to cognitive decline in older adults, however the causal relationships between cognitive capacity and gait is still an open problem. Emerging portable technologies may help elucidate these connections by enabling gait analysis in out-of-The-lab settings, with higher sensitivity than timed gait assessment tests. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the associations between cognitive ability (Montreal Cognitive As-sessment scores) and measures of gait and balance disturbance (spatiotemporal gait parameters, dynamic margin of stability) in a group of older adults, under a dual-Task walking paradigm, using an integrated gait analysis system that features a mobile robot and in-shoe sensors. Results of hierarchical regression analyses adjusted for age and gender indicated that decline in cognitive ability in older adults is independently associated with more conservative overground gait patterns (i.e., smaller absolute values of the anteroposterior margin of stability) and increased gait variability (i.e., larger coefficients of variation in stride time and stride velocity) when performing dual-Task walking. These results provide proof-of-concept validation of the applicability of integrated robotic and wearable sensors technologies to out-of-The-lab gait analysis in older adults.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBioRob 2022 - 9th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics
ISBN (Electronic)9781665458498
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
Event9th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2022 - Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Duration: 21 Aug 202224 Aug 2022

Publication series

NameProceedings of the IEEE RAS and EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics
Volume2022-August
ISSN (Print)2155-1774

Conference

Conference9th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2022
Country/TerritoryKorea, Republic of
CitySeoul
Period21/08/2224/08/22

Keywords

  • Ambulatory Gait Analysis
  • Assistive Robots
  • Dynamic Margin of Stability
  • Instrumented Footwear
  • Wearable Technology

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