Is a "loss of balance" a control error signal anomaly? Evidence for three-sigma failure detection in young adults.

Given that a physical definition for a loss of balance (LOB) is lacking, the hypothesis was tested that a LOB is actually a loss of effective control, as evidenced by a control error signal anomaly (CEA). A model-reference adaptive controller and failure-detection algorithm were used to represent central nervous system decision-making based on input and output signals obtained during a challenging whole-body planar balancing task. Control error was defined as the residual generated when the actual system output is compared with the predicted output of the simple first-order polynomial system model. A CEA was hypothesized to occur when the model-generated control error signal exceeded three standard deviations (3sigma) beyond the mean calculated across a 2-s trailing window. The primary hypothesis tested was that a CEA is indeed observable in 20 healthy young adults (ten women) performing the following experiment. Seated subjects were asked to balance a high-backed chair for as long as possible over its rear legs. Each subject performed ten trials. The ground reaction force under the dominant foot, which constituted the sole input to the system, was measured using a two-axis load cell. Angular acceleration of the chair represented the one degree-of-freedom system output. The results showed that the 3sigma algorithm detected a CEA in 94% of 197 trials. A secondary hypothesis was supported in that a CEA was followed in 93% of the trials by an observable compensatory response, occurring at least 100 ms later, and an average of 479 ms, later. Longer reaction times were associated with low velocities at CEA, and vice versa. It is noteworthy that this method of detecting CEA does not rely on an external positional or angular reference, or knowledge of the location of the system's center of mass.