Testing the Validity of a Device to Monitor Activity
Matthew Ladew
Electrical Engineering
In the interest of monitoring a subject’s daily activity, a device has been developed to be fit into
a shoe and worn by a subject in order to collect data. This data will be analyzed to classify
several physical activities, namely sitting, standing and walking. This device is currently in the
process of being tested and improved, both in software and hardware. The device and analysis
software will be tested for reliability by analyzing the data collected by the device and
comparing the analyzed data with a standard for each test. The standards will be the result of
raters independently reviewing video recordings of each test and annotating the videos with
specially developed software.
Over this summer, I aided in the testing of the device and analysis software in the laboratory and
the field, and in the analysis of collected data. I also developed and began to implement the
software for raters to review and annotate the videos.
The reliability between the raters will be determined through statistical methods. If the raters are
highly reliable, then the standard generated by the raters will be validated. If the standard is
valid, it can in turn be compared to the analyzed data collected by the device, and thus validate
the device and analysis software.
Class of 2011, Electrical Engineering, Honors Program, Dr. Edward Sazonov, Dr. George Fulk