Digitalization of “Timed Up and Go” Test to Increase the Control Efficiency in Inclusive Physical Education

Abstract

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of the “Timed Up and Go” (TUG) test for students with disabilities who have undergone lower limb amputation using an intelligent software-controlled hardware complex in inclusive physical education.

Materials and Methods. The study was conducted at the theoretical and empirical levels. The following methods were used: analysis, synthesis, systematization, generalization, measurement, and mathematical statistics. Measurements were performed using the TUG test. The study sample included first-year male students with a left lower limb amputation (n = 23), provided there were no acute conditions, open wounds, or complications.

Results. The results of the study are presented in the developed intelligent software-controlled hardware system for implementing the TUG test. The structural composition of the system includes Bluetooth-enabled wireless sensors placed on the student and along the entire TUG trajectory. The signals received by the Xsens DOT sensors are transmitted to the latest Arduino Uno R3 microcontroller. Information display and control are provided through the use of a Liquid Crystal Display. A distinctive feature of the complex is the use of IoT technologies for analytics and forecasting in inclusive physical education. Automated acquisition of TUG results enables the recording of numerous gait parameters in students with disabilities and lower limb amputation, such as the amplitude of central oscillations, reaction time, and step length, which cannot be recorded when TUG results are measured using a stopwatch.

Digital data processing transforms the reliability and validity of the TUG test from "average" when measured with a stopwatch to "high", ensuring accurate recording of numerous parameters down to the microsecond level.

Conclusions. The novelty of the developed intelligent programmable tool for implementing the "Get Up and Go" test ensures effective control in inclusive physical education and eliminates the influence of the human factor on test results.