Closed-Loop Control of the Centre of Pressure in Post-Stroke Patients With Balance Impairments

Exploring the Potentials of Wearable Technologies in Managing Vestibular Hypofunction

The vestibular system is dedicated to gaze stabilization, postural balance, and spatial orientation; this makes vestibular function crucial for our ability to interact effectively with our environment. Vestibular hypofunction (VH) progresses over time, and it presents differently in its early and advanced stages. In the initial stages of VH, the effects of VH are mitigated using vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT), which can be facilitated with the aid of technology. At more advanced stages of VH, novel techniques that use wearable technologies for sensory augmentation and sensory substitution have been applied to manage VH. Despite this, the potential of assistive technologies for VH management remains underexplored over the past decades. Hence, in this review article, we present the state-of-the-art technologies for facilitating early-stage VRT and for managing advanced-stage VH. Also, challenges and strategies on how these technologies can be improved to enable long-term ambulatory and home use are presented.

Review of the Upright Balance Assessment Based on the Force Plate

Quantitative assessment is crucial for the evaluation of human postural balance. The force plate system is the key quantitative balance assessment method. The purpose of this study is to review the important concepts in balance assessment and analyze the experimental conditions, parameter variables, and application scope based on force plate technology. As there is a wide range of balance assessment tests and a variety of commercial force plate systems to choose from, there is room for further improvement of the test details and evaluation variables of the balance assessment. The recommendations presented in this article are the foundation and key part of the postural balance assessment; these recommendations focus on the type of force plate, the subject's foot posture, and the choice of assessment variables, which further enriches the content of posturography. In order to promote a more reasonable balance assessment method based on force plates, further methodological research and a stronger consensus are still needed.