As research helps drives clinical treatments and procedures, it is becoming increasing more important to evaluate humans in real-life environments. Data collected in a static environment like a laboratory does not always translate to the dynamic environments in which athletes perform in sporting events or how people function in the real world. 

This concept was a key theme at a recent International Society of Biomechanics. Among the handful of papers that were presented at the conference using Tekscan technology, one titled “The Application of a Neural Network to Improve Plantar Pressure Mapping Accuracy” by Kenneth Brent Smale, PhD., and Ryan B. Graham, PhD., from the University of Ottawa, focused on the validating the F-Scan System in-shoe system to a force plate.

The authors commented on the force plate being the gold standard, but pressure mapping provides added benefits like portability that a force does not offer, which is why it’s important to understand the accuracy between the two systems. They looked to evaluate if a using a neural network would improve any discrepancies, if any, in accuracies.  Read the full abstract here. 

At the conference, we chatted with Brent Smale, PhD, the primary author of the paper, who is currently the Assistant Director of Performance Integration with the Los Angeles Angels. 

He shared his thoughts on:

• Findings of his research presented at the ISB and implications for the future
• Trends in technology for sports research
• Benefits of portable and versatile technology

To see more examples of unique research collected using Tekscan’s technology, download our ebook, Data to Complete Your Gait Analysis.