The study compared two devices, a pressure mat and a force plate, for measuring balance in healthy young adults. The researchers found that both devices showed similar results in measuring center-of-pressure (COP) excursions during balance tasks with eyes open and closed. Although the pressure mat tended to show smaller COP measurements compared to the force plate, both devices detected significant changes in COP measurements between eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. This suggests that pressure mats could be a useful tool for assessing postural control in short-duration tests.