Controlling posture using a plantar pressure-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback system

TL;DR

This study introduces a novel tongue-placed tactile biofeedback system that provides foot pressure information to improve postural control during quiet standing, demonstrating effective integration by the central nervous system.

Contribution

The paper presents an original plantar pressure-based tactile biofeedback system using a tongue device, showing its effectiveness in enhancing balance control.

Findings

Reduced CoP displacements with biofeedback

Effective integration of artificial sensory information

Potential for balance improvement in healthy adults

Abstract

The present paper introduces an original biofeedback system for improving human balance control, whose underlying principle consists in providing additional sensory information related to foot sole pressure distribution to the user through a tongue-placed tactile output device. To assess the effect of this biofeedback system on postural control during quiet standing, ten young healthy adults were asked to stand as immobile as possible with their eyes closed in two conditions of No-biofeedback and Biofeedback. Centre of foot pressure (CoP) displacements were recorded using a force platform. Results showed reduced CoP displacements in the Biofeedback relative to the No-biofeedback condition. The present findings evidenced the ability of the central nervous system to efficiently integrate an artificial plantar-based, tongue-placed tactile biofeedback for controlling control posture during quiet standing.