Amplitude Demodulation of Entrained Sway to Analyze Human Postural Control

This paper presents an innovative technique to study postural control. Our translating platform, the Sliding Linear Investigative Platform For Analyzing Lower Limb Stability and Simultaneous Tracking, EMG and Pressure mapping (SLIP-FALLS-STEPm), makes precise, vibration movements under controlled conditions. We look at the psychophysical thresholds to the perception of a sinusoidally induced sway. In the Sine Lock experiments described, an induced sinusoidal perturbation locks the subject´s natural sway pattern at the frequency of the perturbation. The input / output system is treated as an Amplitude Shift Key (ASK) modulated signal modulating a carrier frequency (at or about a subject´s natural sway frequency). The Position signal (input) and the Anterior-Posterior Center of Pressure (APCOP) signal (output) or the ankle angle are demodulated by mixing them with the pure sine wave carrier at the frequency of underlying oscillation and then low-pass filtering it to detect the amplitude envelope. These detected envelopes elucidate that the square pulse increase in the position sine wave amplitude yields a triangular increase in APCOP demodulated signal.