Differentiating Common Workplace Postures through Plantar Pressure: Laying the Groundwork for a Low-Cost Instrumented Insole
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Prolonged weight bearing (WBR) at work is a suspected risk factor for the development of musculoskeletal disorders that commonly occur in the feet.No objective measure to quantify time spent in different WBR postures currently exists, creating a barrier in investigating the connection between WBR and foot pain.This study aimed to develop a prototype design for a low-cost instrumented insole system capable of differentiating workplace postures (sitting, standing and walking).Three objectives were defined: 1) quantify and differentiate the pedobarographic characteristics associated with each posture, 2) classify the postures from plantar pressure characteristics and 3) develop an insole system with off-the-shelf sensors capable of classifying workplace postures.Pressure measures near the hindfoot and central/lateral forefoot were found to simultaneously differentiate the postures, and machine learning algorithms accurately classified the postures using plantar pressure metrics.This foundational work facilitates the deployment of a low-cost instrumented insole for workplace studies where it will provide the objective evidence needed to resolve the link between WBR and foot pain.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Kohle Merry
Language: English
Subfield: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2801676083