Computer calculation of movement of body's center of gravity.

The movement of the body's center of gravity was calculated in normal subjects and in vertiginous patients by using a strain gauge platform system and a ditigal computer. The total length of the loci traced by the center of gravity in 40 normal subjects during normal standing for 1 minute was 52.0 +/- 18.5 cm with eyes open, and 81.5 +/- 52.3 cm with eyes closed. The ratio of the total length with the eyes closed compared with that with the eyes open during normal standing for 1 minute was 1.56 +/- 0.56. The time course of the length of the locus was calculated every 10 seconds, and characteric curves were obtained. The dependability of this test appeared to be fairly accurate and the usefulness of this technique for the diagnosis of vertiginous or ataxic diseases is recommended.