Mechanical characterization of upright postural control

Partners

University of Djibouti

 

SYMME Laboratory

Mohamed HOUMED-IBRAHIM, doctorant

Laurent Tabourot, enseignant-chercheur SYMME

Christine Ferraris, enseignant-chercheur SYMME

 

Objectives

Although humans have generally been able to control their posture from an early age, they have yet to understand all the processes involved in posture control, let alone reproduce it faithfully. In recent years, therefore, research has been undertaken to gain an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of posture control in humans. The aim is to provide solutions for people who find it difficult to stand upright, or to detect possible anomalies with a view to preventing them. The aim is to understand and analyze from a mechanical point of view the control of standing posture through the use of force platforms.

Two force platforms, based on different mechanical principles, were modeled, designed and built to accurately measure lateral forces decorrelated from vertical forces. In addition, we have acquired a third Kistler industrial force platform for comparative measurements. The aim of the experiments we are currently carrying out is to model a person's postural control in an upright position by assessing the effect of in-plane forces.

We have therefore developed the SYBILLE device to perform measurements on patients undergoing outpatient treatment, as well as on a control group. This vest simultaneously measures respiratory volumes using 8 position sensors (TrakStar © system), and chest sounds using 10 stethoscope horns associated with electret microphones. It has also been optimized to meet the constraints imposed by our clinical study (ease of disinfection, rapid implementation, etc.). The measurements obtained with this vest will be used to define and calculate a score representative of the patient's encumbrance. This score will be compared with that determined by formalizing practitioners' clinical observations.

Résultat(s) / Publication(s)