A wearable system for the measurement of the inter-foot distance during gait

Diana Trojaniello, Andrea Cereatti, Alan K Bourke, Kamiar Aminian, Ugo Della Croce

Abstract

Inter-foot distance (IFD) is an important indicator of gait stability. The IFD evaluation in outdoor conditions is still an open issue. The aim of this work was to develop and evaluate a wearable system integrating an infrared range sensor (IRR) and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), for the IFD estimation during mid-stance and mid-swing. First, the IRR sensor output was characterized and calibrated. Second, precision and accuracy were assessed in static conditions using a target object. Third, data were acquired on a subject during various lower limb movements and compared to a gold standard to evaluate the IRR-IMU dynamic performance. Mean error during the IRR accuracy tests revealed a mean error of 2.7 mm. During walking the error was about 5 mm (up to 10 mm for gait with wide steps). In conclusion, the tests performed seems to support the feasibility of the IRRIMU use for the estimation of the IFD during specific gait phases.

Keywords

Step width, Inertial sensor, Infrared sensor, Gait

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DOI

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IMEKO TC

TC4 - Measurement of Electrical Quantities

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