Abstract:Abstract-Artificial tactile feedback systems can improve prosthetic function for people with amputation by substituting for lost proprioception in the missing limb. However, limited data exists to guide the design and application of these systems for mobility and balance scenarios. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a noninvasive artificial sensory feedback (ASF) system on lower-limb function in the presence of a cognitive load and a liner interface. Reaction times (RTs) and accuracy … Show more
“…The percentage of correct perceptions was 40% with the lowest stimulation level and higher than 97% with 70% and 100% stimulation levels. A similar trend was observed in a previous study [8], where the RTs were computed to compare three vibration frequencies: 140, 180, and 220 Hz, with the latter resulting in the shortest RT.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 84%
“…The stimulation duration of 100 ms was selected to achieve clear perception without overlap between successive vibrations, annoyance or adaptation effects [3], [4], [7], [8]. The number of steps occurring between two consecutive activations was randomized to avoid possible bias due to expectation.…”
Sensory feedback systems can improve gait performance of lower-limb amputees by providing information about the foot-ground interaction force. This study presents a new platform designed to deliver bilateral vibrations on the waist of the user, synchronously with specific gait events. Preliminary perceptual tests were carried out on five healthy subjects to investigate the perception thresholds on the abdominal region. The reaction time and the percentage of correct perceptions were computed to compare three stimulation levels: 50%, 70% and 100% of the maximum vibration amplitude (i.e., 1.5g, 1.9g and 2.2g). The reaction times decreased with higher activation levels. The percentage of correct perceptions was 40% with 50% stimulation level and higher than 97% with 70% and 100% stimulation levels, respectively. The results suggest that vibration amplitudes of 1.9g provide vibrotactile stimulation that can be effectively perceived during walking, thus used to convey sensory information.
“…The percentage of correct perceptions was 40% with the lowest stimulation level and higher than 97% with 70% and 100% stimulation levels. A similar trend was observed in a previous study [8], where the RTs were computed to compare three vibration frequencies: 140, 180, and 220 Hz, with the latter resulting in the shortest RT.…”
Section: Resultssupporting
confidence: 84%
“…The stimulation duration of 100 ms was selected to achieve clear perception without overlap between successive vibrations, annoyance or adaptation effects [3], [4], [7], [8]. The number of steps occurring between two consecutive activations was randomized to avoid possible bias due to expectation.…”
Sensory feedback systems can improve gait performance of lower-limb amputees by providing information about the foot-ground interaction force. This study presents a new platform designed to deliver bilateral vibrations on the waist of the user, synchronously with specific gait events. Preliminary perceptual tests were carried out on five healthy subjects to investigate the perception thresholds on the abdominal region. The reaction time and the percentage of correct perceptions were computed to compare three stimulation levels: 50%, 70% and 100% of the maximum vibration amplitude (i.e., 1.5g, 1.9g and 2.2g). The reaction times decreased with higher activation levels. The percentage of correct perceptions was 40% with 50% stimulation level and higher than 97% with 70% and 100% stimulation levels, respectively. The results suggest that vibration amplitudes of 1.9g provide vibrotactile stimulation that can be effectively perceived during walking, thus used to convey sensory information.
“…BFB approaches in rehabilitation have been studied in a variety of patient populations including stroke [37,[40][41][42], Parkinson's disease [43][44][45], cerebral palsy [46], vestibular deficits [47,48], diabetes [49], and upper-limb [50,51] and lower-limb amputees [31,52,53]. As well as in a variety of applications, including static and dynamic postural balance [54][55][56], walking [57][58][59], stairs management [60], obstacle avoidance [61], floor conditions identification [62], and sensory perception [31,53,63], to mention a few. In 2018, a mapping review [64] was published regarding the use of BFB for gait retraining.…”
Individuals with lower-limb amputation often have gait deficits and diminished mobility function. Biofeedback systems have the potential to improve gait rehabilitation outcomes. Research on biofeedback has steadily increased in recent decades, representing the growing interest toward this topic. This systematic review highlights the methodological designs, main technical and clinical challenges, and evidence relating to the effectiveness of biofeedback systems for gait rehabilitation. This review provides insights for developing an effective, robust, and user-friendly wearable biofeedback system. The literature search was conducted on six databases and 31 full-text articles were included in this review. Most studies found biofeedback to be effective in improving gait. Biofeedback was most commonly concurrently provided and related to limb loading and symmetry ratios for stance or step time. Visual feedback was the most used modality, followed by auditory and haptic. Biofeedback must not be obtrusive and ideally provide a level of enjoyment to the user. Biofeedback appears to be most effective during the early stages of rehabilitation but presents some usability challenges when applied to the elderly. More research is needed on younger populations and higher amputation levels, understanding retention as well as the relationship between training intensity and performance.
“…In this scenario, identifying VT intensity and frequency perception thresholds at different body sites is paramount to deliver effective stimulation. With the goal to develop VT-based lower-limb sensory feedback devices, few studies investigated VT perception on different body areas, most of which were carried out in static, very-structured, experimental conditions [13]- [16]. However, one of the most critical factors influencing tactile perception during dynamic voluntary movements such as walking is the underlying muscle activation.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Furthermore, through the torso, spatial information can be conveyed in an intuitive way since the stimuli are directly mapped to the body coordinates. In the field of gait rehabilitation, few research groups applied VT stimuli to the torso for improving postural control [29]- [32] or providing foot-ground contact information [33], [34], while the main targeted site for haptic feedback remained the thigh [10], [13], [15], [35]- [39]. On the other hand, most of the studies on haptic displays for visually impaired persons focused on the delivery of VT stimuli on the abdomen to indicate a direction of travel [2], [4]- [6], [28].…”
The effectiveness of haptic feedback devices highly depends on the perception of tactile stimuli, which differs across body parts and can be affected by movement. In this study, a novel wearable sensory feedback apparatus made of a pair of pressure-sensitive insoles and a belt equipped with vibrotactile units is presented; the device provides time-discrete vibrations around the waist, synchronized with biomechanically-relevant gait events during walking. Experiments with fifteen healthy volunteers were carried out to investigate users' tactile perception on the waist. Stimuli of different intensities were provided at twelve locations, each time synchronously with one predefined gait event (i.e. heel strike, flat foot or toe off), following a pseudo-random stimulation sequence. Reaction time, detection rate and localization accuracy were analyzed as functions of the stimulation level and site and the effect of gait events on perception was investigated. Results revealed that above-threshold stimuli (i.e. vibrations characterized by acceleration amplitudes of 1.92g and 2.13g and frequencies of 100 Hz and 150 Hz, respectively) can be effectively perceived in all the sites and successfully localized when the intertactor spacing is set to 10 cm. Moreover, it was found that perception of time-discrete vibrations was not affected by phase-related gating mechanisms, suggesting that the waist could be considered as a preferred body region for delivering haptic feedback during walking.
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