SVM models for diagnosing balance problems using statistical features of the MTC signal

Abstract

Trip-related falls are a major problem in the elderly population and research in the area has received much attention recently. The focus has been on devising ways of identifying individuals at risk of sustaining such falls. The main aim of this work is to explore the effectiveness of models based on Support Vector Machines (SVMs) for the automated recognition of gait patterns that exhibit falling behavior. Minimum toe clearance (MTC) during continuous walking on a treadmill was recorded on 10 healthy elderly and 10 elderly with balance problems and with a history of tripping falls. Statistical features obtained from MTC histograms were used as inputs to the SVM model to classify between the..