Towards Wearable-Inertial-Sensor-Based Gait Posture Evaluation for Subjects with Unbalanced Gaits

Abstract

Human gait reflects health condition and is widely adopted as a diagnostic basisin clinical practice. This research adopts compact inertial sensor nodes to monitor the functionof human lower limbs, which implies the most fundamental locomotion ability. The proposedwearable gait analysis system captures limb motion and reconstructs 3D models with high accuracy.It can output the kinematic parameters of joint flexion and extension, as well as the displacementdata of human limbs. The experimental results provide strong support for quick access to accuratehuman gait data. This paper aims to provide a clue for how to learn more about gait postureand how wearable gait analysis can enhance clinical outcomes. With an ever-expanding gait database,it is possible to help physiotherapists to quickly discover the causes of abnormal gaits, sports injuryrisks, and chronic pain, and provides guidance for arranging personalized rehabilitation programsfor patients. The proposed framework may eventually become a useful tool for continually monitoringspatio-temporal gait parameters and decision-making in an ambulatory environment.

Keywords

• mems sensors
• information fusion
• gait analysis
• rehabilitation assessment
• body sensor network