Feeling Wobbly? A New App Developed at NYU Can Test Your Balance

Balance is part of everything we do—from sitting upright in a chair or crossing the street safely to throwing a baseball or doing ballet. But it can be disrupted by various health conditions and tends to decline as we age. Tisch dance professor Elizabeth Coker and Steinhardt physical therapy professor Anat Lubetzky teamed up to develop Home Balance Test, an app that uses a smartphone’s sensors to track how much a user sways while carrying out a set of balancing tasks. With the data it collects, health providers can help identify those—particularly older adults—who need help to prevent falls, and researchers can build a better understanding of how balance varies across different groups.