Development of a system for anatomical landmarks localization using ultrasonic signals

Abstract

A review of the current protocols and techniques for the anthropometric measurements and postural assessment for wheelchair users and individuals with severe musculoskeletal problems was given. It was concluded that both contact and non contact methods have a number of significant limitations including time consuming measurement procedure, high cost and risk of excessive exposure to radiation. Many current approaches do not enable clinicians to accurately record and analyze the patient's musculoskeletal configuration. The challenge still remains to combine the body shape data with the precise identification and localization of anatomical landmarks for postural assessment. To address the need for easy to use, low cost, reliable measurement of anatomical landmarks ultrasound measurement system has been proposed. The main elements of the system are: ultrasound transmitters, receiver, digital-analog converter, signal conditioning equipment and laptop executing the signal processing algorithm. The prototype of the system was build and tested. The preliminary measurements of ultrasonic signals were realized and demonstrated the potential for this technique to be used in anthropometric and postural assessments in the future.