On the detection of elderly equilibrium degradation using multivariate-EMD

The aim of this paper is to provide a new methodology for the detection of an increased risk of falling in community-dwelling elderly. A new extended method of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) called multivariate-EMD is employed in the proposed solution. This method will be mainly used to analyze the stabilogram center of pressure (COP) time series. In this paper, we describe also the remote non-invasive assessment method, which is suitable for static and dynamic balance. Balance was assessed using a miniature force plate, while gait was assessed using wireless sensors placed in a corridor of the home. The experimental results show the effectiveness of this indicator to identify the differences in standing posture between different groups of population.