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Development of new instrument for evaluating leg motions using acceleration sensors

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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a new system for measuring leg motions using a portable three-dimensional accelerometer. The measuring system is composed of acceleration sensors (Micro Stone, MA3-10Ac), a data logger, a data reader, and a personal computer. The personal computer draws a graph of the acceleration of movements (i.e., accelerogram) from the output signals of the acceleration sensors. We then calculated the average acceleration to evaluate leg motions. We drew the accelerograms from 19 young subjects and 36 elderly subjects during the performance of physical fitness activities and walking. Different accelerograms were obtained from two subjects for different walking styles. The average accelerations at the lumbar, ankle and toe points were higher at all axes during movements from the physical fitness activities in the elderly subjects. The accelerations of leg motion at the knee point were, however, lower in the up and down axis in the elderly subjects than in the young subjects, although they were higher in the back and forth and the right and left axes. The new instrument has enabled us to evaluate leg motions by measuring three-dimensional acceleration during the performance of physical fitness activities and walking. The average accelerations of leg motions showed age-related changes. Thus, the average acceleration of leg motions may be used as a new index for evaluating leg motions at the dynamic state.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Industrial Technology Center of Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Japan

    Takaki Itoh

  2. Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan

    Yukie Kumagai, Hiroyasu Uenishi & Toshiko Matsuoka

  3. School of Health and Nursing Science, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan

    Ikuharu Morioka

  4. Nature Core Science Inc., Kainan, Japan

    Shinji Mae

  5. Faculty of Education, Wakayama University, Wakayama, Japan

    Toshihiro Naka

Authors
  1. Takaki Itoh
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  2. Yukie Kumagai
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  3. Ikuharu Morioka
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  4. Shinji Mae
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  5. Toshihiro Naka
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  6. Hiroyasu Uenishi
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  7. Toshiko Matsuoka
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Correspondence to Takaki Itoh.

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Itoh, T., Kumagai, Y., Morioka, I. et al. Development of new instrument for evaluating leg motions using acceleration sensors. Environ Health Prev Med 12, 111–118 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898025

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02898025

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