著者

楠本 欣司

出版者

活水女子大学

雑誌

活水論文集. 健康生活学部編 (ISSN:18807720)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.57, pp.7-15, 2014-03-31

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Balance ability decreases with age, which can lead to falls and fractures. As a worst case scenario, increase risk of fractures to the elderly may require primary nursing care. I developed a new body balance measurement system that is three-dimensional using Microsoft Kinect, which is a controller for video games such as Xbox 360. Kinect is a physical device that consists of a RBG camera, an infrared depth camera, and a microphone array. One of the Kinect's remarkable technologies is the tracking of the skeleton without the use of reflective makers. In this study, I examined the reliability of the system. Twenty healthy females (age=21.0±0.8years, height=158.3±3.6cm, mass=53.1±4.9kg, BMI=21.2±2.0) with no visual, vestibular, or neurological impairments volunteered to participate in the study. The results indicated the system had poor reliability in anterior/posterior and medial/lateral directions (ICC=0.35, 0.48); however, it had excellent reliability in superior/inferior direction (ICC=0.94). Although the new balance measurement system showed poor reliability, I think that I can improve the systems program and review the method of measurement. I believe that Kinect will become a more cost effective and easy to use tool for balance ability testing. I hope to see the Kinect system used in physical therapy and sports medicine facilities in the future.