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Assessing and training standing balance in older adults: A novel approach using the 'Nintendo Wii' Balance Board

Older adults, are often unable to participate in dynamic exercises due to physical constraints or fear of falling. Using the Wii Balance Board, we have developed an interface for the accurate calculation of a participant's centre of pressure (COP) bespoke diagnostic and measurement programmes. This allows researchers to design, control and validate tasks that both train and test balance function. This technology provides a safe low-cost balance training/testing solution. The paper has led to collaboration discussions with researchers from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Stanford University working on alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.