When you say force plates, you think Kistler. Since its inception in 1966, Kistler have been at the forefront of biomechanics and gait research.

Their present technology includes piezoelectric force sensors to measure the forces exerted between foot and floor in walking, standing, running, jumping, or pretty much any movement activity. It is even possible to measure such things as wheelchair usage (Kirby et al 1996), or weight lifting (Wretenberg et al 1996).

Typical applications of the Kistler Range are shown below:

Gait Analysis

The high frequency and high dynamic range of Kistler force platforms makes them ideal for a full multi-component analysis of gait. Kistler distribute the Bioware software, highly specialised software for analysis of multi-component force data, able to calculate GRF vectors and apply hi and lo pass filters with ease.

You may read more about the Gait Analysis offerings of Kistler Here.

Balance Analysis

Perhaps not the first thing you think of, but balance is crucial for most forms of gait, stance, or other activity. Just standing still requires constant adjustment of balance, so analysis of balance can shed light upon neurological, psycological, or anatomical disorders which underlie this. For such analysis a combination of multi-component force measurement, accurate calculation of moment vectors, force vectors, and an impressive bandwidth are essential.

Kistler is able to calculate the center of pressure with ease, and can do so given just a few simple parameters.

For more information about balance analysis, see this page

Kirby RL, DiPersio M, MacLeod D. Wheelchair safety: effect of locking or grasping the rear wheels during a rear tip. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1996 Dec;77(12):1266-70.

Wretenberg P, Feng Y, Arborelius UP. High- and low-bar squatting techniques during weight-training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996 Feb;28(2):218-24.