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Technical reliability assessment of three accelerometer models in a mechanical setup.

Dale W Esliger1, Mark S Tremblay

  • 1University of Saskatchewan, College of Kinesiology, Saskatoon, Canada. dale.eslinger@usak.ca

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|December 6, 2006
PubMed
Summary

The Actical accelerometer demonstrated superior intra- and interinstrument reliability compared to Actigraph and RT3 models in laboratory settings. However, differing responses to acceleration and frequency mean further research is needed to select the best overall model.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Wearable Technology
  • Human Movement Analysis

Background:

  • Accelerometers are widely used in research to measure physical activity and human movement.
  • Reliability of accelerometer data is crucial for accurate and reproducible scientific findings.
  • Common accelerometer models (Actical, Actigraph, RT3) vary in their design and performance characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the intra- and interinstrument reliability of three common accelerometer models: Actical, Actigraph, and RT3.
  • To investigate the influence of varying acceleration and frequency on the reliability of these devices.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments utilized a mechanical laboratory setup with a hydraulic shaker plate.
  • Actical, Actigraph, and RT3 accelerometers were subjected to six different conditions of varying acceleration and frequency.

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  • Reliability was assessed using standard deviation, standard error of the measurement, coefficient of variation, and intraclass correlation coefficients.

    • Main Results:

    • The RT3 accelerometer exhibited poor reliability (CV > 40%) across all conditions.
    • The Actical accelerometer showed significantly better reliability (CVintra = 0.5%, CVinter = 5.4%) than the Actigraph (CVintra = 3.2%, CVinter = 8.6%).
    • Actical variability decreased with higher acceleration, while Actigraph variability decreased with higher frequency; no relationship was found for the other pairings.

    Conclusions:

    • The Actical model demonstrated the highest intra- and interinstrument reliability in this laboratory setting.
    • Discrepant responses of Actical and Actigraph to acceleration and frequency highlight the need for careful model selection.
    • Further research is required to understand the differing behaviors of accelerometers designed for similar measurement purposes.