iBalance-ABF: a Smartphone-Based Audio-Biofeedback Balance System

Céline Franco (1, 2) , Anthony Fleury (3) , Pierre-Yves Guméry (4) , Bruno Diot (1) , Jacques Demongeot (1, 5) , Nicolas Vuillerme (1, 6)

1 AGIM - AGeing and IMagery
2 TIMC-IMAG - Techniques de l'Ingénierie Médicale et de la Complexité - Informatique, Mathématiques et Applications, Grenoble - UMR 5525
3 CERI SN - IMT Nord Europe - Centre for Digital Systems
4 TIMC-IMAG-PRETA - Physiologie cardio-Respiratoire Expérimentale Théorique et Appliquée
5 IXXI - Institut Rhône-Alpin des systèmes complexes
6 IUF - Institut universitaire de France

This article proposes an implementation of a Kalman Filter, using inertial sensors of a Smartphone, to estimate 3D angulation of the trunk. The developped system monitors the trunk angular evolution during bipedal stance and helps the user to improve balance through a configurable and integrated auditory-biofeedback loop. A proof-of-concept study was performed to assess the effectiveness of this so-called iBalance-ABF - smartphone-based audio-biofeedback system - in improving balance during bipedal standing. Results showed that young healthy individuals were able to efficiently use ABF on sagittal trunk tilt to improve their balance in the ML direction. These findings suggest that iBalance-ABF system as a Telerehabilitation system which could represent a suitable solution for Ambient Assisted Living technologies.

Mots clés: Balance; Smartphone; Wearable device; Inertial motion unit; Biofeedback; Ambient Assisted Living

Domaines: Traitement du signal et de l'image [eess.SP]; Traitement du signal et de l'image [eess.SP]

Céline Franco, Anthony Fleury, Pierre-Yves Guméry, Bruno Diot, Jacques Demongeot, et al.. iBalance-ABF: a Smartphone-Based Audio-Biofeedback Balance System. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2013, 60 (1), pp.211-215. ⟨10.1109/TBME.2012.2222640⟩. ⟨hal-00799723⟩