J TRIP | LABORATORY | GITHUB | NEWS
Physical activity measurement laboratory
We are evaluating physical activity in various populations using wearable activity trackers. We are also developing new hardware and software methods for the measurement of physical behaviours. For example, machine learning techniques are employed to develop algorithms capable of recognizing physical behaviors using data collected from wearable devices.
Our research goals are:
- to understand the relationship between physical activity, health and well-being in various populations.
- to develop new technologies to support more accurate measurements of physical behaviors.
- to promote physical activty as a primary component of a sustainable society.
We are located in Tokyo, Japan and we have research partnerships with Africa and Europe. In Ochanomizu University, we are working in collaboration with the Human Engineering Laboratory.
Direct access to drePAnon, current projects, prospective students, current lab members, current collaborations, selected articles, patents, alumni, news, full bibliography (also see julien tripette), past research interests, teaching and list of co-authors.
Current projects
- Smart-home systems and quantitative assessement of physical activity.
- Smartshoes, wearable sensors, activity recognition and energy expenditure measurement.
- The drePAnon clinical trial: physical activity, symptoms, quality of life in patients with sickle cell anemia.
- The promotion of walkable environments in Tokyo.
- Skateboard studies.
Prospective students
We are welcoming B4 students interested in wearable sensors, physical behavior monitoring, signal processing, machine learning methods, social network services (twitter emoji mining), mobile health technology, physical activity, well-being, lifestyle assessment, active transportation, skateboarding, etc.
- B3 students interested in the assessment of physical behaviors should look at the document here and contact me as soon as possible. 身体活動の評価に興味がある４年生は卒論テーマの例をここの資料みて、連絡してください。
→ Important notice to study carefully before considering joining the lab: Fables de La Fontaine.
We are also looking for:
- Graduate students (both Master and PhD candidates).
Students willing to enroll in Ochanomizu University should comply with the gender-related admission eligibility criteria. Internal and external scholarship opportunities may exist. In some cases, the candidate should already be enrolled at the university to become eligible to scholarships. More flexible options may be available for visiting students. Feel free to sent an email describing you situation and research goal if you are interested in joining our group. - Postdoctoral trainees (gender-related limitations do not apply).
Internal and external fellowship opportunities may exist. Applications should be prepared 6 to 12 months prior to the beginning of the training.
Prospective candidates may look here for more details.
Lab members
- Okazaki Momoka (M2), 2023-2026
Physical activity and walkability - Anbe Hitomi (B4), 2025-2026
Floor vibration monitoring for quantitative measurement of physical activity - Ikebata Tomoyo (B4), 2025-2026
Research thema to be decided
Current collaborations
Ochanomizu University: Nathanael Aubert-Kato (Computer Science), Ohta Yuji and Motooka Nobuhisa (Human-Environment Sciences), Mizumura Mayumi (Dance Science).
Japan: Nakagata Takashi, Yoshida Tsukasa, Yamada Yosuke at National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition (国立研究開発法人 医薬基盤・健康・栄養研究所), Miyachi Motohiko at Waseda University (Faculty of Sport Sciences), Emi Anzai at Nara's Women University.
International: Philippe Connes at Lyon 1 University (Faculty of Sports Science), France, Mor Diaw at Cheikh Anta Diop University (School of Medicine), Dakar, Senegal, Leo Cazenille.
Selected articles
Objective Assessment of Physical Activity at Home Using a Novel Floor-Vibration Monitoring System: Validation and Comparison With Wearable Activity Trackers and Indirect Calorimetry Measurements (JMIR Formative Research, 2024) DOI URL PDF This study evaluated the feasibility of estimating physical activity through floor vibration monitoring. Accelerometer sensors were installed in a smart home floor to capture vibration data from 10 participants during four activities. Energy expenditure was measured via indirect calorimetry, and Actigraph trackers were used to estimate both energy expenditure and step count. Models based on features extracted from floor vibrations outperformed Actigraph trackers in estimating both metrics.
Random forest algorithms to classify frailty and falling history in seniors using plantar pressure measurement insoles: a large-scale feasibility study (BMC Geriatrics, 2022) DOI URL PDF This study proposes an objective method to complement existing tools for identifying frailty in seniors. Seven hundred twelve senior participantscompleted a balance test and walking trial, with plantar pressure data collected via 7-sensor insoles. Frailty, assessed using the Kihon Checklist, was classified with 75% accuracy using random forest algorithms on 184 extracted features. These findings suggest smart insoles could help clinicians in early frailty detection.
Random forest algorithms for recognizing daily life activities using plantar pressure information: a smart-shoe study (PeerJ, 2020) DOI URL PDF DATA CODE This study developed an algorithm to recognize activities using plantar pressure data from smart shoes. Seventeen participants performed nine sedentary and locomotive activities, and random forest models processed the data. A 20-second window length achieved 89% accuracy. "Running" showed 100% sensitivity, while "walking up a slope" had the lowest (63%). Minimal sensor setups (2-3 sensors) still performed well. Smart shoes could help assess daily activities.
Patents
[US20220280074A1] Ohta Yuji, Tripette Julien, Aubert-Kato Nathanael, Ren Dian. Behavior determination apparatus, behavior determination system, behavior determination method, and computer-readable storage medium. 2022 (status: pending). [US pattent only, see PCT/JP2019/046859 and WO2021106216A1 for the Japanese and World Intellectual Property Organization applications respectively]
Alumni
Postdoc:
Gallou-Guyot Matthieu (2023-2024)
PhD:
Ren Dian (M1/M2/D1/D2/D3, 2016-2021) PeerJ 2020 BMC Geriatr 2022 PATENT
Master degree:
Naka Rio (B4/M1/M2, 2022-2025) ECSS 2023
Nakajima Yuki (B4/M1/M2, 2021-2024) JMIR Form Res 2024 ICAMPAM 2024
Hatori Hitomi (M2, 2023-2024) ICAMPAM 2024
Kitayama Asami (B4/M1/M2, 2019-2022) JMIR Form Res 2024
Bachelor:
Owada Chise (B4, 2024-2025)
Yatsuzuka Kanae (B4, 2024-2025)
Uno Kai (B4, 2022-2023)
Matsuno Momoka (B4, 2022-2023)
Orihara Arisa (B4, 2021-2022) ECSS 2023
News
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May 2025
May 19, 2025 Our paper entitled "Physical activity, vaso-occlusive crises and pain in patients with sickle cell anaemia in Senegal" has now been published in the British Journal of Haematology. Thanks to all contributors ! What an extraordinary cross-cultural experience between France, Japan and Senegal !
April 2025
April 8, 2025 Welcome to the new first year students of the Deparment of Human and Environmental Sciences. I am your home teacher !!
March 2025
March 24, 2025 Congratulations to Chise (B4), Kanae (B4) and Rio (M2) for their graduation.
February 2025
February 14, 2025 ActiWearCheck can now be used with data from the official Fitbit Web API (see fitbit_importer.py). Thanks Nat-sensei.
January 2025
January 6, 2025 Happy new year. The first lab meeting (ゼミ) of the year will be on January 8, 10:40-12:10, room 805.
December 2024
December 20, 2024 Our report entitled Health, time, and financial co-benefits of active travelling: a case report of one cyclist in the Tokyo metropolitan area is now accessible as a PrePrint in SportRxiv. DOI URL.
December 11, 2024 Welcome to the new 3rd-year lab students: Hitomi A. and Tomoyo.
November 2024
November 28, 2024 Attending the HARC annual seminar in Kashiwanoha
November 5, 2024 Leaving to attend the annual conference of the CGRF, present the latest results of the drePAnon clinical trial, and meet the members of the drePAnon team and local health professionals involved in research on sickle cell anemia.
October 2024
October 17, 2024 The ActiWearCheck github repo is now public.ActiWearCheck is a small conveniant software to evaluate days of valid wear for physical activity data obtained from Fitbit activity trackers. Thanks to Nat-sensei and Matthieu.
October 8, 2024 Github lab page updated.
October 4, 2024 Lab introduction to prospective B3 students. Start at 15:40 (room: main 209).
September 2024
September 27, 2024 Fall Semester begins on October 1st. Laboratory meetings (ゼミ) will resume on October 2 (Wednesday), 10:40-12:10, room 805.
September 24, 2024 Recruiting B3 students. Please check the updated description of research topics. We are looking for students with strong programming skills and/or interested in human experiments.
August 2024
August 15, 2024 Congratulations to our former postdoc fellow Matthieu Gallou-Guyot for his latest publication in Ageing Research Reviews: Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Complex Walking tasks: Characterization, Behavioral Adaptations, and Clinical Implications in Ageing and Neurological Populations.
July 2024
July 19, 2024 No problems were found in the data.
June 2024
June 20, 2024 Chairing Oral Session 13: ALGORITHMS 2 at ICAMPAM 2024.
June 16, 2024 Leaving for Rennes. Attending ICAMPAM 2024 and presenting the two following studies:
- P2.5.53. Estimating energy expenditure by using floor vibration monitoring technology in bedroom settings [Poster Session 2].
- O.13.4. Activity recognition using data from wearable sensors and smart shoe devices: classifying kick-board and skateboard commuting behaviors [Oral Session 13].
April 2024
April 25, 2024 Congratulations to Asami and Yuki for their article:
Nakajima et al. Objective Assessment of Physical Activity at Home Using a Novel Floor-Vibration Monitoring System: Validation and Comparison With Wearable Activity Trackers and Indirect Calorimetry Measurements (JMIR Formative Research, 2024)
PDF
March 2024
March 22, 2024 Congratulations to Momoka (B4), Hitomi (M2) and Yuki (M2) for their graduation.
March 14, 2024 Leaving for Dakar, visiting Pr. Mor Diaw at Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, until March 29.
December 2023
December 25, 2023 Pro skateboarder Toyoda Mitugu participating to Hitomi's research today. Merry Christmas ! Still recruiting participants for this study. Please contact Hitomi.
November 2023
November 20, 2023 Now recruiting participants for Yuki's smart bedroom experiment. Please contact Yuki asap if you are interested.
July 2023
July 3, 2023 Leaving for Paris for attending the ECSS 2023. Rio will present Temporal relationship between objectively measured physical activity and pain occurrence in patients with sickle cell anemia: a pilot study. I will present Arisa's graduation thesis project: Recognizing kickboard and skateboarding behaviors using wearable activity tracker devices.
June 2023
June 25, 2023 Leaving for Lyon. Visiting Philippe Connes lab for some works related to the drePAnon clinical trial.
June 1, 2023 Our paper has just been accepted in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A. Body Cell Mass to Fat-Free Mass Ratio and Extra- to Intracellular Water Ratio Are Related to Maximal Oxygen Uptake DOI URL.
April 2023
April 3, 2023 The lab moved to Comprehensive Research Building, Floor 8, Room 808 （総合研究棟８階８０８号室）.
September 2022
September 22, 2022 Our paper has just been accepted in Scientific Reports. Phase angle obtained via bioelectrical impedance analysis and objectively measured physical activity or exercise habits DOI URL.
August 2022
August 30, 2022 Our paper has just been accepted in BMC Geriatrics. Congratulations Emi and Dian. Random forest algorithms to classify frailty and falling history in seniors using plantar pressure measurement insoles: a large-scale feasibility study DOI URL.
August 9, 2022 Our paper has just been accepted in Gait & Posture. Congratulations Takashi. Step-count outcomes of 13 different activity trackers: Results from laboratory and free-living experiments DOI URL.
April 2022
April 1, 2022 The lab is now located at Comprehensive Research Building, Floor 6, Room 603 （総合研究棟６階６０３号室）.