Methods for the real-world evaluation of fall detection technology : a scoping review (2018)
Journal Article
Broadley, R., Klenk, J., Thies, S., Kenney, L., & Granat, M. (2018). Methods for the real-world evaluation of fall detection technology : a scoping review. Sensors, 18(7), https://doi.org/10.3390/s18072060

Falls in older adults present a major growing healthcare challenge and reliable detection
of falls is crucial to minimise their consequences. The majority of development and testing has
used laboratory simulations. As simulations do not cover the w... Read More about Methods for the real-world evaluation of fall detection technology : a scoping review.

Automated detection of instantaneous gait events using time frequency analysis and manifold embedding (2013)
Journal Article
using time frequency analysis and manifold embedding. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 21(6), 908-915. https://doi.org/10.1109/TNSRE.2013.2239313

Accelerometry is a widely used sensing modality
in human biomechanics due to its portability, non-invasiveness, and accuracy. However, difficulties lie in signal variability and interpretation in relation to biomechanical events. In walking, heel st... Read More about Automated detection of instantaneous gait events using time frequency analysis and manifold embedding.

Automatic detection of lift-off and touch-down of a pick-up walker using 3D kinematics (2013)
Journal Article
Grootveld, L., Thies, S., Ogden, D., Howard, D., & Kenney, L. (2014). Automatic detection of lift-off and touch-down of a pick-up walker using 3D kinematics. Medical Engineering and Physics, 36(2), 255-260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2013.08.008

Walking aids have been associated with falls and it is believed that incorrect use limits their usefulness. Measures are therefore needed that characterize their stable use and the classification of key events in walking aid movement is the first ste... Read More about Automatic detection of lift-off and touch-down of a pick-up walker using 3D kinematics.

Effects of ramp negotiation, paving type and shoe sole geometry on toe clearance in young adults (2011)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Jones, R., Kenney, L., Howard, D., & Baker, R. (2011). Effects of ramp negotiation, paving type and shoe sole geometry on toe clearance in young adults. Journal of Biomechanics, 44(15), 2679-2684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2011.07.027

Trips are a major cause of falls and result from involuntary contact of the foot with the ground during the swing phase of gait. Adequate toe clearance during swing is therefore crucial for safe locomotion. To date, little is known about the effects... Read More about Effects of ramp negotiation, paving type and shoe sole geometry on toe clearance in young adults.

Movement variability in stroke patients and controls performing two upper limb functional tasks: a new assessment methodology (2009)
Journal Article

Background: In the evaluation of upper limb impairment post stroke there remains a gap between detailed kinematic analyses with expensive motion capturing systems and common clinical assessment tests. In particular, although many clinical tests evalu... Read More about Movement variability in stroke patients and controls performing two upper limb functional tasks: a new assessment methodology.

Simulating acceleration from stereophotogrammetry for medical device design (2009)
Journal Article
Tresadern, P., Thies, S., Kenney, L., Howard, D., Smith, C., Rigby, J., & Goulermas, J. (2009). Simulating acceleration from stereophotogrammetry for medical device design. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 131(6), https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3118771

When designing a medical device based on lightweight accelerometers, the designer is faced with a number of questions in order to maximize performance while minimizing
cost and complexity: Where should the inertial unit be located? How many units ar... Read More about Simulating acceleration from stereophotogrammetry for medical device design.

The relationship between frontal plane gait variability and ankle range of motion in middle-aged and older persons with neuropathy (2009)
Journal Article
Carter, S., Richardson, J., Thies, S., Demott, T., & Ashton-Miller, J. (2009). The relationship between frontal plane gait variability and ankle range of motion in middle-aged and older persons with neuropathy. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 88(3), 210-215. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0b013e318194fb3c

Objective: To explore the relationship between frontal plane ankle range of motion (ROM) and frontal plane control during gait, as determined by step-width variability and step-width range, among middle-aged
and older persons with peripheral neuropa... Read More about The relationship between frontal plane gait variability and ankle range of motion in middle-aged and older persons with neuropathy.

An exploration of step time variability on smooth and irregular surfaces in older persons with neuropathy (2008)
Journal Article
Richardson, J., Thies, S., & Ashton-Miller, J. (2008). An exploration of step time variability on smooth and irregular surfaces in older persons with neuropathy. Clinical Biomechanics, 23(3), 349-356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2007.10.004

Background. Increased step time variability, particularly on an irregular surface, has been associated with impaired mobility function and a variety of diseases. However the biomechanical necessity, or advantage, of increasing step time variability h... Read More about An exploration of step time variability on smooth and irregular surfaces in older persons with neuropathy.

Rapid prototyping for functional electrical stimulation control (2008)
Journal Article
Tresadern, P., Thies, S., Kenney, L., Howard, D., & Goulermas, J. (2008). Rapid prototyping for functional electrical stimulation control. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 7(2), 62-69. https://doi.org/10.1109/MPRV.2008.35

Electrical muscle stimulators can help restore limb function following a neurological injury. However, complex neuromuscular stimulators need a straightforward software interface to simplify hardware programming and make patient care more efficient.... Read More about Rapid prototyping for functional electrical stimulation control.

An instance-based algorithm with auxiliary similarity information for the estimation of gait kinematics from wearable sensors. (2008)
Journal Article

Wearable human movement measurement systems
are increasingly popular as a means of capturing human movement data in real-world situations. Previous work has attempted to estimate segment kinematics during walking fromfoot acceleration and angular ve... Read More about An instance-based algorithm with auxiliary similarity information for the estimation of gait kinematics from wearable sensors..

What causes a crossover step when walking on uneven ground? A study in healthy young women. (2007)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Ashton-Miller, J., & Richardson, J. (2007). What causes a crossover step when walking on uneven ground? A study in healthy young women. Gait & Posture, 26(1), 156-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2006.08.011

We hypothesized that, during gait, the perturbation caused by stepping on a 1.2-cm high protuberance with the medial forefoot would not only alter stance foot kinematics and kinetics, but also alter subsequent step location and timing, even to the po... Read More about What causes a crossover step when walking on uneven ground? A study in healthy young women..

Comparison of linear acceleration from three measurement systems during “reach & grasp” (2007)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Tresadern, P., Kenney, L., Howard, D., Goulermas, J., Smith, C., & Rigby, J. (2007). Comparison of linear acceleration from three measurement systems during “reach & grasp”. Medical Engineering and Physics, 29(9), 967-972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medengphy.2006.10.012

Given the increased use of accelerometers in movement analysis, validation of such inertial sensors against conventional 3D camera systems and performance comparisons of different sensors have become important topics in biomechanics. This paper evalu... Read More about Comparison of linear acceleration from three measurement systems during “reach & grasp”.

Falls and gait characteristics among older persons with peripheral neuropathy (2007)
Journal Article
DeMott, T., Richardson, J., Thies, S., & Ashton-Miller, J. (2007). Falls and gait characteristics among older persons with peripheral neuropathy. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86(2), 125-132. https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0b013e31802ee1d1

Objective: To prospectively determine the frequency and circumstances of falls in older persons with peripheral neuropathy and to identify gait characteristics on smooth and irregular surfaces associated with falls
in this same population.
Design:... Read More about Falls and gait characteristics among older persons with peripheral neuropathy.

Effects of surface irregularity and lighting on step variability during gait: a study in healthy young and older women (2005)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Ashton-Miller, J., & Richardson, J. (2005). Effects of surface irregularity and lighting on step variability during gait: a study in healthy young and older women. Gait & Posture, 22(1), 26-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2004.06.004

Influence of an irregular surface and low light on the step variability of patients with peripheral neuropathy during level gait (2005)
Journal Article
Thies, S., Richardson, J., DeMott, T., & Ashton-Miller, J. (2005). Influence of an irregular surface and low light on the step variability of patients with peripheral neuropathy during level gait. Gait & Posture, 22(1), 40-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2004.06.006

Patients with peripheral neuropathy (PN) report greater difficulty walking on irregular surfaces with low light (IL) than on flat surfaces with regular lighting (FR). We tested the primary hypothesis that older PN patients would demonstrate greater s... Read More about Influence of an irregular surface and low light on the step variability of patients with peripheral neuropathy during level gait.

Gait analysis in a challenging environment differentiates between fallers and non-fallers among older patients with peripheral neuropathy (2005)
Journal Article
Richardson, J., Thies, S., DeMott, T., & Ashton-Miller, J. (2005). Gait analysis in a challenging environment differentiates between fallers and non-fallers among older patients with peripheral neuropathy. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86(8), 1539-1544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2004.12.032

Objective: To identify differences in gait based on fall
history among a group of older subjects with peripheral neuropathy (PN) in 2 environments: standard (SE) (smooth surface, normal lighting) and challenging (CE) (irregular surface, low lighting... Read More about Gait analysis in a challenging environment differentiates between fallers and non-fallers among older patients with peripheral neuropathy.

Interventions improve gait regularity in patients with peripheral neuropathy while walking on an irregular surface under low light. (2004)
Journal Article
Richardson, J., Thies, S., DeMott, T., & Ashton-Miller, J. (2004). Interventions improve gait regularity in patients with peripheral neuropathy while walking on an irregular surface under low light. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(4), 510-515. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52155.x

Objectives:

To determine which, if any, of three inexpensive interventions improve gait regularity in patients with peripheral neuropathy (PN) while walking on an irregular surface under low-light conditions. Design:

Observational. Setting:... Read More about Interventions improve gait regularity in patients with peripheral neuropathy while walking on an irregular surface under low light..

A comparison of gait characteristics between older women with and without peripheral neuropathy on smooth and unlevel surfaces (2004)
Journal Article
Richardson, J., Thies, S., DeMott, T., & Ashton-Miller, J. (2004). A comparison of gait characteristics between older women with and without peripheral neuropathy on smooth and unlevel surfaces. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52(9), 1532-1537. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52418.x

OBJECTIVES: To compare gait patterns in older women
with and without peripheral neuropathy (PN) in standard
(smooth surface, normal lighting) and challenging environments (CE) (irregular surface, low lighting).
DESIGN: Observational, controlled st... Read More about A comparison of gait characteristics between older women with and without peripheral neuropathy on smooth and unlevel surfaces.

Visuomotor behaviours during functional task performance with a myoelectric prosthesis
Thesis
Sobuh, M. Visuomotor behaviours during functional task performance with a myoelectric prosthesis. (Thesis). University of Salford

Myoelectric hand prostheses are controlled via electromyographic (EMG) signals measured at the residual forearm musculature. Active functional use requires control of force and motion of the prosthetic hand in the absence of proprioceptive and tactil... Read More about Visuomotor behaviours during functional task performance with a myoelectric prosthesis.