Conception, development and validation of a software interface to assess human’...

• Author(s): Barbosa, Tiago M. ; Costa, Mário ; Morais, Jorge E. ; Jesus, S. ; Marques, M.C. ; Batista, José ; Gonçalves, José
• Date: 2011
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/6128
• Origin: Biblioteca Digital do IPB
• Subject(s): Instrument; Locomotion
• Document Type: Conference Object
• Language: English

Description

The aim of this paper was to: (i) calibrate the Swimsportec® speedo-meter; (ii) concept and develop a software’s interface for it (iii) validate the full system. Calibration was done with an industrial robot. The robot arm’s performed a linear and horizontal path at a uniform movement for a set of wide range of velocities (0.5<v<4.5m/s) being the tension data acquire for each specific linear velocity. Software’s interface was developed in LabVIEW® to acquire, display and process pair wises velocity-time data on-line during the subject’s locomotion bout. To transfer data from speedo-meter to the software an acquisition card is used. System validation was done for a set of land-based human locomotion techniques (from slow walk to maximal running) in four subjects and comparing it with a Doppler radar gun. Linear regression models between speedo-meter system and radar gun where very high for both the coefficient of variation of the subject’s velocity within the full gait cycle and his maximal velocity. The 95% of interval confidence agreement limits were very close together in both variables. More than 80% of the Bland- Altman plots were with the 1.96 standard-deviation criteria used on regular basis as rule thumb for techniques validation.