Article

The Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) is increasingly used as an inexpensive force
plate for assessment of postural control; however, no documentation of force and
COP accuracy and reliability is publicly available. Therefore, we performed a
standard measurement uncertainty analysis on 3 lightly and 6 heavily used WBBs to
provide future users with information about the repeatability and accuracy of the
WBB force and COP measurements. Across WBBs, we found the total uncertainty of
force measurements to be within +/- 9.1N, and of COP location within +/- 4.1mm.
However, repeatability of a single measurement within a board was better (4.5 N,
1.5mm), suggesting that the WBB is best used for relative measures using the same
device, rather than absolute measurement across devices. Internally stored
calibration values were comparable to those determined experimentally. Further,
heavy wear did not significantly degrade performance. In combination with prior
evaluation of WBB performance and published standards for measuring human
balance, our study provides necessary information to evaluate the use of the WBB
for analysis of human balance control. We suggest the WBB may be useful for
low-resolution measurements, but should not be considered as a replacement for
laboratory-grade force plates.
CI - Published by Elsevier B.V.

Langue : ANGLAIS