On the Role of Dynamic Models in Quantitative Posturography

Conventional approaches to posturography typically make use of force-plate instrumentation to measure the movement of the center of pressure of ground reaction forces during quiet standing. This paper shows that such information can be obtained indirectly by using a four-mass inverted pendulum dynamic model for the body as the basis for processing motion data transmitted directly from television cameras to an on-line computer. Preliminary experimental results suggest that this approach may eventually yield improved clinical procedures.