Licentiate seminar in Mechanical Engineering with Otto Hofstätter
Welcome to the licentiate seminar in Mechanical Engineering, where Otto Hofstätter will defend his licentiate thesis entitled "Development of a methodology for mobile balance assessment for athletes to record progress during field measurements".
Date: 4 December 2026
Time: 10–13
Location: Q221, Building Q, Campus Östersund or via Zoom
Title of the thesis: Development of a methodology for mobile balance assessment for athletes to record progress during field measurements
Main supervisor: Prof. Mikael Bäckström
Co-supervisor: Dr. Anton Sabo
External examiner: Prof. Dr. Uwe Kersting
The Zoom link for the licentiate seminar will be published here at the end of November.
Abstract
New Open-Source Framework "OpenBalance" Advances Field-Based Balance Assessment
To overcome the physiological ceiling effects and mobility limits of traditional force plates, a new licentiate thesis introduces "OpenBalance"—a mobile, hardware-interoperable methodology for assessing dynamic posture in field settings.
The system features a decentralized multi-cell force platform designed to reduce mechanical crosstalk (<1%) and system inertia, paired with an open-source computational pipeline compatible with proprietary devices (e.g., Tetrax, Tymo) and laboratory reference platforms (e.g., AMTI, Kistler).
Using a progressive 8-stage testing protocol, OpenBalance evaluates motor control under varying visual, somatosensory, and vestibular challenges. Computational additions like the Outlier Excursion Ratio (OER) capture transient stabilizing movements, while benchtop testing highlights how equipment like foam pads can mechanically alter sway trajectories independently of human balance control. OpenBalance provides an accessible solution for clinical biomechanics and sports science.