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Home / Equine Research Bank / Sensors (Basel) / A Pilot Study on the Inter-Operator Reproducibility of a Wir...
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)2022; 22(23); doi: 10.3390/s22239533

A Pilot Study on the Inter-Operator Reproducibility of a Wireless Sensors-Based System for Quantifying Gait Asymmetries in Horses.

Abstract: Repeatability and reproducibility of any measuring system must be evaluated to assess possible limitations for its use. The objective of this study was to establish the repeatability and the inter-operator reproducibility of a sensors-based system (EQUISYM®) for quantifying gait asymmetries in horses.. Seven wireless IMUs were placed on the head, the withers, the pelvis, and the 4 cannon bones on three horses, by four different operators, four times on each horse, which led to a total of 48 repetitions randomly assigned. Data were collected along three consecutive days and analysed to calculate total variance, standard deviation and the variance attributable to the operator on multiple asymmetry variables. Maximal percentage of variance due to the operator (calculated out of the total variance) was 5.3% and was related to the sensor placed on the head. The results suggest a good reproducibility of IMU-based gait analysis systems for different operators repositioning the system and repeating the same measurements at a succession of time intervals. Future studies will be useful to confirm that inter-operator reproducibility remains valid in larger groups and on horses with different degrees of locomotor asymmetry.
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Publication Date: 2022-12-06 PubMed ID: 36502233PubMed Central: PMC9740227DOI: 10.3390/s22239533Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research is about testing the repeatability and reproducibility of a wireless sensors based system (EQUISYM) that measures gait asymmetries in horses, with a focus on how different operators influence the results.

Study Design and Execution

  • Seven wireless Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) were used for this study. The sensors were meticulously placed on various body parts (head, withers, pelvis, and cannon bones) of three different horses.
  • The IMUs were positioned and repositioned four times by four different operators on each horse. The positioning and repositioning process was repeated 48 times in different random sequences.
  • The data was collected over three consecutive days. The findings included total variance, standard deviation, and the variance caused by the different operators on multiple asymmetry variables.

Results and Insights

  • The highest percentage of variance due to the operator (calculated from the total variance) was 5.3%. This suggests that the influence of the operator on the system’s output was relatively minor.
  • This variance was linked to the sensor that was placed on the horse’s head, implying that this location might be the most sensitive to operator’s handling.
  • The low operator-induced variance implies that the EQUISYM system provides consistent measurements of horse gait asymmetry, regardless of who is using the equipment, as long as the usage guidelines are properly followed.

Future Implications

  • The results suggest good reproducibility of IMU-based gait analysis systems. This makes them suitable for repeated measurements over time, even when handled by different operators.
  • Future research could focus on testing the reproducibility of this approach with a larger group of horses and variations in the degree of locomotor asymmetry. The large sample could help confirm whether the system’s reproducibility remains reliable regardless of the operator and the subject’s physical condition.

Cite This Article

APA
Timmerman I, Macaire C, Hanne-Poujade S, Bertoni L, Martin P, Marin F, Chateau H. (2022). A Pilot Study on the Inter-Operator Reproducibility of a Wireless Sensors-Based System for Quantifying Gait Asymmetries in Horses. Sensors (Basel), 22(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/s22239533

Publication

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
ISSN: 1424-8220
NlmUniqueID: 101204366
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 22
Issue: 23

Researcher Affiliations

Timmerman, Iris
  • Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, USC INRAE-ENVA 957 BPLC, CIRALE, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France.
Macaire, Claire
  • Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, USC INRAE-ENVA 957 BPLC, CIRALE, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France.
  • LIM France, Labcom LIM-ENVA, 24300 Nontron, France.
  • Laboratoire de BioMécanique et BioIngénierie (UMR CNRS 7338), Centre of Excellence for Human and Animal Movement Biomechanics (CoEMoB), Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Alliance Sorbonne Université, 60200 Compiègne, France.
Hanne-Poujade, Sandrine
  • LIM France, Labcom LIM-ENVA, 24300 Nontron, France.
Bertoni, Lélia
  • Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, USC INRAE-ENVA 957 BPLC, CIRALE, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France.
Martin, Pauline
  • LIM France, Labcom LIM-ENVA, 24300 Nontron, France.
Marin, Frédéric
  • Laboratoire de BioMécanique et BioIngénierie (UMR CNRS 7338), Centre of Excellence for Human and Animal Movement Biomechanics (CoEMoB), Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), Alliance Sorbonne Université, 60200 Compiègne, France.
Chateau, Henry
  • Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, USC INRAE-ENVA 957 BPLC, CIRALE, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Pilot Projects
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Gait
  • Pelvis
  • Back
  • Biomechanical Phenomena

Grant Funding

  • ANR 16-LCV2-0002-01 / Agence Nationale de la Recherche
  • 20E01636 / European Regional Development Fund

Conflict of Interest Statement

The project was supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) which sponsors collaborative projects between a company (LIM France) and the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort (ENVA). LIM France owns and markets the EQUISYMND brand.

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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Poizat E, Gérard M, Macaire C, De Azevedo E, Denoix JM, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Bertoni L, Tallaj A, Audigié F, Hatrisse C, Hébert C, Martin P, Marin F, Hanne-Poujade S, Chateau H. Discrimination of the Lame Limb in Horses Using a Machine Learning Method (Support Vector Machine) Based on Asymmetry Indices Measured by the EQUISYM System. Sensors (Basel) 2025 Feb 12;25(4).
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  3. Macaire C, Hanne-Poujade S, De Azevedo E, Denoix JM, Coudry V, Jacquet S, Bertoni L, Tallaj A, Audigié F, Hatrisse C, Hébert C, Martin P, Marin F, Chateau H. Asymmetry Thresholds Reflecting the Visual Assessment of Forelimb Lameness on Circles on a Hard Surface. Animals (Basel) 2023 Oct 25;13(21).
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