Il Laboratorio di Bioingegneria e Neuromeccanica del Movimento ha in corso i seguenti progetti di ricerca nell’ambito delle applicazioni cliniche:
Assessing gait quality indices and dynamic postural stability in people with neurological disorders
Management of gait disorders in patients with central neurological conditions has been a challenging clinical problem due to their complex presentation. In a medical setting, it is crucial to conduct a thorough evaluation of a patient’s ability to walk and move around in different environments. Assessing gait quality and dynamic postural stability is fundamental for walking recovery. In this scheme, the aim of this project is to objectively quantify gait quality and dynamic postural stability in people with different neurological disorders with the use of inertial sensors in ecological settings. This approach can add value to the routinely clinical assessments by identifying structural/functional limitations, guiding efficient interventions for rehabilitation and monitor progress/state of the disease.
Doctoral researcher: Amaranta Soledad Orejel Bustos
Supervisors: Giuseppe Vannozzi, Elena Bergamini
In collaboration with: IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia
Financed by: 
Musculoskeletal tumors and tumorlike lesions:a wearable sensor-based functional assessment
Sarcomas are rare malignant tumors that affect bones and soft tissues, especially in the lower and upper limbs. The limb salvage surgery to remove the primary tumor is often highly invasive, causing functional impairments and compromising the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living. Making use of wearable inertial sensors, we aim to explore an IMU-based protocol that supports the clinicians in the assessment of the patient’s functional abilities stepping outside the environment of a laboratory of human movement analysis, testing patients in a more ecological environment, and so offering an in-depth description of sarcoma patients pre- and post-operatively, and throughout their recovery.
Doctoral researcher: Cecilia Lo Zoppo
Supervisors: Giuseppe Vannozzi, Valeria Belluscio
In collaboration with: IRCCS IFO-IRE; Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (UK)
New insights into functional assessment and home-based exercise intervention in Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic auto-immune disorder causing demyelination of the Central Nervous System (CNS), inducing numbness, weakness, pain, fatigue, as well as visual, physical and cognitive dysfunction. Consequently, people with MS (pwMS) often show impaired gait and balance, which may increase disability, risk of falls, and reduce quality of life. Usually, the effect of therapies and the status of MS are assessed through clinical examinations, which might be operator-dependent. Furthermore, exercise is known to induce benefits on CNS, physical and cognitive functions, however, its effect on MS and functional abilities of pwMS is not clear. Therefore, this project has two main objectives. First, expand the current MS functional status and disability level examinations with more objective assessments, such as inertial sensors and high-density surface electromyography. Second, check if exercise, specifically home-based exercise, can be a suitable and effective disease-modifying therapy for MS and/or improve quality of life in pwMS.
Doctoral Researcher: Franco Pio Siciliano
Supervisors: Andrea Macaluso, Giuseppe Vannozzi
In collaboration with: Giovanna Borriello, University of Naples
Financed by: 
Use of gait biomarkers for the identification of people with neurological disorders at elevated risk of falling (FASTER)
Neurological patients with motor impairments are at a heightened risk of falls due to environmental factors. Hospital assessments frequently overlook the real-world fall risk. FASTER aims to introduce a comprehensive evaluation protocol that replicates real-life situations, identify biomarkers for fall risk, and assess treatments tailored to individual patients. This initiative aims to improve fall-risk prediction, support decision-making, and reduce healthcare costs.
Doctoral researcher: Andree Rossi
Supervisors: Giuseppe Vannozzi, Valeria Belluscio
In collaboration with: IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia
Financed by:
Sensor-based mobility assessment and data-driven classification in neurological populations
When dealing with neurological pathologies, gait analysis plays a crucial role in the definition of the status of the pathology while posing the basis for the treatment approach. In the recent years, the shift of the gait analysis framework towards a more ecological environment for the assessment led to the wide use of wearable technologies such as Magneto-Inertial Measurement Units (MIMU). When using such technologies, a vast range of features may be extracted to characterize pathological gait. From the clinical perspective, having a large set of features may be detrimental due to redundant (and/or useless) information comprised within itself. With this premises, the aim of the study is to identify an optimal subset of gait-related MIMU-based features to characterize the gait of neurological populations. Such features may be used to evaluate the status of the pathology as well as that of the treatment approach.
Post-doctoral researcher: Paolo Brasiliano
Supervisors: Giuseppe Vannozzi , Elena Bergamini
Financed by:
Idiopathic Toe Walking in children: a gait evaluation protocol using wearable sensors
Idiopathic Toe Walking (ITW) is a condition that affects toe walkers who can adopt a heel-to-toe stride when asked, and if not cured, it could lead to structural deformities and psychological issues. The effectiveness of the walking correction adopted is usually assessed by stereophotogrammetry (SP), considered as gold standard in gait analysis but with the potential to induce the child to walk normally, hiding the typical behavior. A more ecological acquisition environment, as the one provided by Magneto-Inertial Measurement Units (MIMUs), is highly recommended but requires a test for the effectiveness of MIMU data to specifically evaluate ITW gait. The objective of this project is to devise a valid ecological alternative based on MIMUs for the characterization of ankle kinematics, robust with respect to the specific requirements of toe walking assessment.
Post-doctoral researchers: Paolo Brasiliano, Paolo Di Feo
Supervisors: Valentina Camomilla, Giuseppe Vannozzi
In collaboration with: 
Financed by: INPS (call: Industry 4.0, 2019-20)