A development supporting method for low-birth-weight infants by auralization of kinematic characteristics of General Movements

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K11502
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59030:Physical education, and physical and health education-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Metropolitan University
• Principal Investigator: Gima Hirotaka 東京都立大学, 人間健康科学研究科, 准教授 (50708039)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 低出生体重 / 自発運動 / 可聴化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we converted the coordinate data of infants' spontaneous limb movements, which were collected using a three-dimensional motion analysis system, into acoustic signals. Furthermore, we examined the motor analysis indices necessary to capture changes in motor characteristics when an audible sound source was used as an intervention stimulus. This analysis focused on the motor characteristics of each body part, based on skeletal and postural estimation using video data. We derived indices to quantify movements toward midline activity in early infancy. This method allows us to represent the movement characteristics as sounds that predict normal motor development and create an index for capturing changes in movement characteristics when sound stimuli are applied.

Free Research Field

小児理学療法学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では，1）乳児の自発運動のデータを可聴化する技術の開発，2）後の運動発達を予測する運動特性の音としての表現，3）後の運動発達に重要と考えられる乳児期初期の自発運動特性に明確化，4）乳児の自発運動可聴化音を刺激として与えた際に起こる運動特性変化を評価するための指標の作成を行うことができた．これらの成果は，可聴化した自発運動音を介入刺激とした，早産・低出生体重児に対する運動発達支援方法の開発・検証に有用な知見をもたらしたと考えられる．