Static Balance Digital Endpoints with Mon4t: Smartphone Sensors vs. Force Plate

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Static balance tests are crucial for clinical diagnosis and treatment adjustments.
• Increasing accessibility for aging populations and remote examination is necessary.
• Previous studies explored smartphone sensors for balance evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the large-scale applicability, ease of use, safety, and reliability of smartphone-based static balance assessment.
• To validate the Mon4t app against gold-standard force plate measurements.
• To explore its utility in both clinical and remote patient monitoring settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Mon4t app to capture postural motion across various devices, locations, and postures.
• Compared app-derived signals with center of pressure displacement data from a force plate.
• Collected data from three initial participants and 50 healthy volunteers aged 65+.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated moderate to high agreement between smartphone app and force plate measurements (0.69 ≤ r ≤ 0.91), especially in tandem stance.
• Validated the Mon4t app as a reliable method for static balance assessment.
• Confirmed feasibility across diverse smartphone devices and usage scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The Mon4t app offers an accessible and cost-effective tool for static balance assessment.
• It supports both in-clinic evaluations and remote patient monitoring, crucial for telehealth.
• This technology can improve balance assessment accessibility for aging populations.