Biomechatronics, Assistive Devices, Gait Engineering, and Rehabilitation Laboratory

Balance Training by wobble board and remote-controlled car: new research characterizes challenge, performance and engagement

Ava Segal, recent PhD graduate from the Colorado School of Mines (with Prof. Adamczyk collaborating), has published two papers on a new approach to balance training, which couples a traditional wobble board with a embedded sensing to drive a little robot car through mazes.

The first describes the exercise itself, including a test of its effects on both young and older adults.

A. D. Segal, P. G. Adamczyk, A. J. Petruska, and A. K. Silverman, “Balance Therapy With Hands-Free Mobile Robotic Feedback for At-Home Training Across the Lifespan,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, vol. 30, pp. 2671–2681, 2022, doi: 10.1109/TNSRE.2022.3205850. [Google Scholar]

The second compares the level of challenge and engagement when using the robotic system vs. a standard-of-care video game exercise.

A. D. Segal, A. J. Petruska, P. G. Adamczyk, and A. K. Silverman, “Age-specific biomechanical challenges and engagement in dynamic balance training with robotic or virtual real-time visual feedback,” Journal of Biomechanics, p. 111574, Mar. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111574.[Google Scholar] (download free until 2023-05-30 here)

Congratulations, Ava!