Question

What electronic circuit would you use to measure the gait variability of an individual? What electronic signal would be produced by this circuit? What processing steps would you carry out on this signal to determine the individual’s gait variability?

Answer 1

An electronic circuit with wearable sensors is used for gait analysis.

The gait analysis methods based on wearable sensors is divided into gait kinematics, gait kinetics, and electromyography.

Gait analysis is the systematic study of human locomotion. This type of analysis involves the measurement, description, and assessment of quantities that characterize human locomotion . Through gait analysis, the gait phase can be identified, the kinematic and kinetic parameters of human gait events can be determined, and musculoskeletal functions can be quantitatively evaluated. As a result, gait analysis has been employed in sports, rehabilitation, and health diagnostics. For instance, in some types of sports training, the method is applied to recognize the faults in athlete performances so that they can improve.

In gait analysis using wearable sensors, motion sensors are worn or attached to various parts of the patient’s body, such as the foot and waist. These sensors, which may be accelerometers, gyrosensors, force sensors, strain gauges, inclinometers, goniometers, and so on, can measure various characteristics of the human gait. The movement signal recorded by these sensors can be used to perform the gait analysis. For example, the temporal characteristics of gait are collected and estimated from body-worn accelerometers and pressure sensors inside footwear, as reported in several papers.

Gait analysis has used different types of motion sensors and systems, such as the accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetoresistive sensors, flexible goniometer, electromagnetic tracking system (ETS), sensing fabric, force sensor, and sensors for electromyography (EMG). Based on these sensors, a single type or a combined sensor system of multiple types of sensors may be used for various gait analysis applications.