Design and test of neural networks and statistical classifiers in computer-aided movement analysis: a case study on gait analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the methods for designing and testing diagnostic systems in movement analysis and to verify the clinical usefulness of neural networks and statistical classifiers in a case study. DESIGN: Connectionist and statistical models trained and tested with measured data. BACKGROUND: A basic need in rehabilitation and related fields is to efficiently manage the vast information obtained from a movement analysis laboratory.

Quantitative assessment of gait deviation: contribution to the objective measurement of disability.

Three biomechanical parameters based on force plate measurements were defined as indicators of gait deviation. Symmetry was specified as the relative difference in stance time and vertical impulse loading between both feet, constancy as the mean S.D.

Application of fuzzy logic techniques for the qualitative interpretation of preferences in a collective questionnaire for users of wheelchairs.

Active participation of users in the evaluation of technical aids is essential, since they are part of the interface with the system and constitute a fundamental source of design criteria. In this study, 88 active users of wheelchairs were interviewed by means of a written questionnaire about their opinion concerning the adaptation of his/her wheelchair to the office workplace. A conceptual framework was introduced linking objective measurements of the user-wheelchair interface to the subjective preferences expressed by the user.

Optimisation of the prescription for trans-tibial (TT) amputees.

The great diversity of prosthetic mechanisms available nowadays leads to the question of which type of artificial foot would be the most advisable for a particular person. To answer correctly, it is necessary to establish, in an objective way, the performance of each type of prosthetic mechanism. This knowledge is obtained by means of the study of the subject-prosthesis interaction, both in static and dynamic conditions.