Research Project
2785559
A force plate array consists of a matrix of small six-component load transducers. A typical force plate used in gait studies is approximately two feet long and one and a half feet wide. The major limitations of the use of current force plates are the need of some means of targeting, numerous trials, and long periods of time in order to obtain valid data. In Phase I it was determined that it is feasible to develop a force plate system, which will eliminate the above mentioned limitation of conventional force plates. Phase II's aim is to develop a working prototype of the force plate array system using the optimized force plate array dimensions from Phase I. The proposed design will have the potential to positively influence gait analysis performance by allowing for over 92.1 percent of the population to be successfully tested with greater than or equal to 50% probability of collecting two consecutive foot falls (over a 6000% improvement compared to two conventional force plates, and a 1500% improvement compared to one conventional force plate). The prototype to be developed under Phase II will lead to a commercially available product in Phase III. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Through the feasibility study of Phase I it was found that developing a force plate array system is technically and more importantly economically feasible. The system will be the first of its kind, will be available at a price comparable to current force plates, and will dramatically improve gait analysis performance.
