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A simple and inexpensive test-rig for evaluating the performance of motion sensors used in movement disorders research

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Abstract

Since the advent of electromyogram recording, precise measures of tremor and gait have been used to study movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Now, a wide range of accelerometers and other motion-tracking technologies exist to better inform researchers and clinicians, yet such systems are rarely tested for accuracy or suitability before use. Our inexpensive test-rig can produce sinusoidal displacements using a simple cantilever system driven by a subwoofer. Controlled sinusoids were generated using computer software, and the displacement amplitudes of the test-rig were verified with fiducial marker tracking. To illustrate the use of the test-rig, we evaluated an accelerometer and an electromagnetic motion tracker. Accelerometry recordings were accurate to within ±0.09 g of actual peak-to-peak amplitude with a frequency response close to unity gain between 1 and 20 Hz. The electromagnetic sensor underestimated peak displacement by 2.68 mm, which was largely due to a diminishing gain with increasing frequency. Both sensors had low distortion. Overall sensitivity was limited by noise for the accelerometer and quantisation resolution for the electromagnetic sensor. Our simple and low-cost test-rig can be used to bench-test sensors used in movement disorders research. It was able to produce reliable sinusoidal displacements and worked across the 1- to 20-Hz frequency range.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for the funding received from the Colonial Foundation to complete this study, and the authors would also like to thank Rodney Millard and Mark Harrison for providing expertise and advice. The Bionics Institute acknowledges the support it receives from the Victorian Government through its Operational Infrastructure Support Program. We thank the reviewers for their useful comments regarding the original manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors do not have any related conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bionics Institute, 384-388 Albert Street, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia

    Thushara Perera, Shivanthan A. C. Yohanandan & Hugh J. McDermott

  2. Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia

    Shivanthan A. C. Yohanandan

  3. Medical Bionics Department, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3010, Australia

    Hugh J. McDermott

Authors
  1. Thushara Perera
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  2. Shivanthan A. C. Yohanandan
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  3. Hugh J. McDermott
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Correspondence to Thushara Perera.

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Perera, T., Yohanandan, S.A.C. & McDermott, H.J. A simple and inexpensive test-rig for evaluating the performance of motion sensors used in movement disorders research. Med Biol Eng Comput 54, 333–339 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-015-1314-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-015-1314-7

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