aTUG: technical apparatus for gait and balance analysis within component-based Timed Up & Go using mutual ambient sensors

A novel approach to instrumenting the Timed Up & Go (TUG) assessment test and to performing a detailed mobility analysis during the test in professional and domestic environments is presented. The approach, called aTUG, is based on the usage of ambient sensor technologies i.e. a light barrier, four force sensors, and a laser range scanner built into a single apparatus. aTUG supports execution and documentation of traditional TUG and enhanced component-based TUG and computes several spatio-temporal parameters of gait and balance. aTUG defines five components: Standing up, walking there, turning, walking back, and sitting down. Algorithms for detection of those components, for computation of their durations and the duration of the whole TUG, and for detailed gait and balance analysis based on available sensor data are presented. An experiment with five elderly patients aged 74–91 years has been conducted in a residential care facility in Oldenburg, Germany. Results of the experiment show that aTUG can reliably and precisely measure total duration of TUG and durations of the single components with a mean error of only 0.05 s and mean standard deviation of 0.59 s using especially its force and range measurements. Initial results of gait and balance analysis are presented and challenges regarding application of the approach is domestic environments are outlined.

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