Assessment of fall risk during walking

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12173
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90150:Medical assistive technology-related
• Research Institution: Aichi Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kagawa Takahiro 愛知工業大学, 工学部, 准教授 (30445457)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 松戸 典文 駒沢女子大学, 看護学部, 助教 (40734231)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 歩行分析 / 転倒リスク / 歩行モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We developed a new fall risk assessment method during walking, termed as balance map analysis. The balance map analysis predicts future falling based on a simple biomechanical model. A computer simulation revealed that the balance map framework could predict future falling while stumbled walking. Furthermore, the risk of falling could be quantified by the margin from the boundary of balance loss region. Human steady-state walking and stumbled walking were evaluated by the balance map analysis. we confirmed that the trajectories of the steady-state walking maintained sufficient margin from the balance loss regions. While stumbled, the state approached and went into the balance loss regions. The margin was recovered in a few recovery steps after stumbled. These results indicate that the balance map analysis can evaluate closeness from falling during walking.

Free Research Field

生体医用工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

転倒は寝たきりの主要な要因の一つであり，転倒予防が高齢者の健康において重要な課題である．歩行運動が複数の身体部位が連動する複雑な運動のため，転倒リスクを評価する有効な手法はまだ確立されていない．本研究は，身体を単純化した力学モデルを基に，転倒しやすい状態をリアルタイムに検知できる新しい転倒リスク評価法を構築した．本研究では、健常の若年者の歩行に対してバランスマップ解析の転倒リスク評価法の妥当性を確認することができた．高齢者や歩行障害の方の転倒リスクの定量化に有効であることを確かめられれば，リスクを低減するリハビリテーションや補講アシスト機器の設計・開発に役立てられると期待できる．