Validity and reliability of textile system Sensoria for posturographic measurements

Smart fabrics and interactive textiles are a relatively new area of research, with many potential applications in the field of biomedical engineering. The ability of smart textiles to interact with the body provides a novel means to sense the wearer's physiology and respond to the needs of the wearer. Physiological signals, such as heart rate, breathing rates, and activity levels, are useful indicators of health status. These signals can be measured by means of textile-based sensors integrated into smart clothing which has the ability to keep a digital record of the patient's physiological responses since his or her last clinical visit, allowing doctors to make a more accurate diagnosis. Similarly, in rehabilitation, it is difficult for therapists to ensure that patients are complying with prescribed exercises. Smart garments sensing body movements have the potential to guide wearers through their exercises, while also recording their individual movements and adherence to their prescribed programme. In this paper, we present the new wireless textile system Sensoria, with pressure sensing capability for static posturography. The gold standard for static posturography is currently the use of a pressure or force plate but, due to their very complexity and expensiveness, the applicability outside laboratories is extremely limited. This paper focuses on the agreement between the static computed posturography assessed by means of a traditional stabilometric platform and the Sensoria system, in twenty subjects with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Preliminary results showed a significant agreement between the two methods, suggesting a clinical use of Sensoria for low cost home care based balance impairment assessments.