scholarly journals Estimation of 3D Body Center of Mass Acceleration and Instantaneous Velocity from a Wearable Inertial Sensor Network in Transfemoral Amputee Gait: A Case Study

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3129
Author(s):  
Emeline Simonetti ◽  
Elena Bergamini ◽  
Giuseppe Vannozzi ◽  
Joseph Bascou ◽  
Hélène Pillet

The analysis of the body center of mass (BCoM) 3D kinematics provides insights on crucial aspects of locomotion, especially in populations with gait impairment such as people with amputation. In this paper, a wearable framework based on the use of different magneto-inertial measurement unit (MIMU) networks is proposed to obtain both BCoM acceleration and velocity. The proposed framework was validated as a proof of concept in one transfemoral amputee against data from force plates (acceleration) and an optoelectronic system (acceleration and velocity). The impact in terms of estimation accuracy when using a sensor network rather than a single MIMU at trunk level was also investigated. The estimated velocity and acceleration reached a strong agreement (ρ > 0.89) and good accuracy compared to reference data (normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) < 13.7%) in the anteroposterior and vertical directions when using three MIMUs on the trunk and both shanks and in all three directions when adding MIMUs on both thighs (ρ > 0.89, NRMSE ≤ 14.0% in the mediolateral direction). Conversely, only the vertical component of the BCoM kinematics was accurately captured when considering a single MIMU. These results suggest that inertial sensor networks may represent a valid alternative to laboratory-based instruments for 3D BCoM kinematics quantification in lower-limb amputees.

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (19) ◽  
pp. 4117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelangelo Guaitolini ◽  
Federica Aprigliano ◽  
Andrea Mannini ◽  
Silvestro Micera ◽  
Vito Monaco ◽  
...  

Loss of stability is a precursor to falling and therefore represents a leading cause of injury, especially in fragile people. Thus, dynamic stability during activities of daily living (ADLs) needs to be considered to assess balance control and fall risk. The dynamic margin of stability (MOS) is often used as an indicator of how the body center of mass is located and moves relative to the base of support. In this work, we propose a magneto-inertial measurement unit (MIMU)-based method to assess the MOS of a gait. Six young healthy subjects were asked to walk on a treadmill at different velocities while wearing MIMUs on their lower limbs and pelvis. We then assessed the MOS by computing the lower body displacement with respect to the leading inverse kinematics approach. The results were compared with those obtained using a camera-based system in terms of root mean square deviation (RMSD) and correlation coefficient (ρ). We obtained a RMSD of ≤1.80 cm and ρ ≥ 0.85 for each walking velocity. The findings revealed that our method is comparable to camera-based systems in terms of accuracy, suggesting that it may represent a strategy to assess stability during ADLs in unstructured environments.


1987 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard N. Hinrichs

Ten male recreational runners were filmed using three-dimensional cinematography while running on a treadmill at 3.8 m/s, 4.5 m/s, and 5.4 m/s. A 14-segment mathematical model was used to examine the contributions of the arms to the total-body angular momentum about three orthogonal axes passing through the body center of mass. The results showed that while the body possessed varying amounts of angular momentum about all three coordinate axes, the arms made a meaningful contribution to only the vertical component (Hz). The arms were found to generate an alternating positive and negative Hzpattern during the running cycle. This tended to cancel out an opposite Hzpattern of the legs. The trunk was found to be an active participant in this balance of angular momentum, the upper trunk rotating back and forth with the arms and, to a lesser extent, the lower trunk with the legs. The result was a relatively small total-body Hzthroughout the running cycle. The inverse relationship between upper- and lower-body angular momentum suggests that the arms and upper trunk provide the majority of the angular impulse about the z axis needed to put the legs through their alternating strides in running.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Yamaguchi ◽  
Kei Shibata ◽  
Hiromi Wada ◽  
Hiroshi Kakehi ◽  
Kazuo Hokkirigawa

AbstractHerein, we investigated the effect of friction between foot sole and floor on the external forward moment about the body center of mass (COM) in normal and shuffling gaits. Five young male adults walked with normal and shuffling gaits, under low- and high-friction surface conditions. The maximum external forward moment about the COM (MEFM-COM) in a normal gait appeared approximately at initial foot contact and was unaffected by floor condition. However, MEFM-COM in a shuffling gait under high-friction conditions exceeded that under low-friction conditions (p < 0.001). Therein, MEFM-COM increased with an increasing utilized coefficient of friction at initial foot contact; this effect was weaker during a normal gait. These findings indicate that increased friction between foot sole and floor might increase tripping risk during a shuffling gait, even in the absence of discrete physical obstacles.


Author(s):  
Christopher B. Ruff ◽  
Ryan W. Higgins ◽  
Kristian J. Carlson

Long bone diaphyseal cross-sectional geometries reflect the mechanical properties of the bones, and can be used to aid in inferences of locomotor behavior in extinct hominins. This chapter considers all available long bone diaphyseal and femoral neck cross-sections of specimens from Sterkfontein Member 4, and presents comparisons of these section properties and other cross-sectional dimensions with those of other early hominins as well as modern samples. The cross-sectional geometry of the Sterkfontein Member 4 long bone specimens suggests some similarities to, but also interesting differences in, mechanical loading of these elements relative to modern humans. The less asymmetric cortical bone distribution in the Sterkfontein femoral necks is consistent with other evidence above indicating an altered gait pattern involving lateral displacement of the body center of mass over the stance limb. The relatively very strong upper limb of StW 431 implies that arboreal behavior formed a significant component of its locomotor repertoire. Bipedal gait may have been less efficient and arboreal climbing more prevalent in the Sterkfontein hominins.


Motor Control ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jebb G. Remelius ◽  
Richard E.A. van Emmerik

This study investigated timing and coordination during the swing phase of swing leg, body center of mass (CoM) and head during walking people with multiple sclerosis (MS; n = 19) and controls (n = 19). The MS group showed differences in swing phase timing at all speeds. At imposed but not preferred speeds, the MS group had less time to prepare for entry into the unstable equilibrium, as the CoM entered this phase of swing earlier. Time-to-contact coupling, quantifying the coordination between the CoM and the swing foot, was not different between groups. The projection of head motion on the ground occurred earlier after toeoff and was positioned closer to the body in the MS group, illustrating increased reliance on visual exproprioception in which vision of the body in relation to the surface of support is established. Finally, prospective control, linking head movements to the swing foot time-to-contact and next step landing area, was impaired in the MS group at higher gait speeds.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 2392
Author(s):  
Claudia Ochoa-Diaz ◽  
Antônio Padilha L. Bó

The calculation of symmetry in amputee gait is a valuable tool to assess the functional aspects of lower limb prostheses and how it impacts the overall gait mechanics. This paper analyzes the vertical trajectory of the body center of mass (CoM) of a group formed by transfemoral amputees and non-amputees to quantitatively compare the symmetry level of this parameter for both cases. A decomposition of the vertical CoM into discrete Fourier series (DFS) components is performed for each subject’s CoM trajectory to identify the main components of each pattern. A DFS-based index is then calculated to quantify the CoM symmetry level. The obtained results show that the CoM displays different patterns along a gait cycle for each amputee, which differ from the sine-wave shape obtained in the non-amputee case. The CoM magnitude spectrum also reveals more coefficients for the amputee waveforms. The different CoM trajectories found in the studied subjects can be thought as the manifestation of developed compensatory mechanisms, which lead to gait asymmetries. The presence of odd components in the magnitude spectrum is related to the asymmetric behavior of the CoM trajectory, given the fact that this signal is an even function for a non-amputee gait. The DFS-based index reflects this fact due to the high value obtained for the non-amputee reference, in comparison to the low values for each amputee.


2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 907-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Eduardo Cofré Lizama ◽  
Mirjam Pijnappels ◽  
N. Peter Reeves ◽  
Sabine M. P. Verschueren ◽  
Jaap H. van Dieën

Explicit visual feedback on postural sway is often used in balance assessment and training. However, up-weighting of visual information may mask impairments of other sensory systems. We therefore aimed to determine whether the effects of somatosensory, vestibular, and proprioceptive manipulations on mediolateral balance are reduced by explicit visual feedback on mediolateral sway of the body center of mass and by the presence of visual information. We manipulated sensory inputs of the somatosensory system by transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation on the feet soles (TENS) of the vestibular system by galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) and of the proprioceptive system by muscle-tendon vibration (VMS) of hip abductors. The effects of these manipulations on mediolateral sway were compared with a control condition without manipulation under three visual conditions: explicit feedback of sway of the body center of mass (FB), eyes open (EO), and eyes closed (EC). Mediolateral sway was quantified as the sum of energies in the power spectrum and as the energy at the dominant frequencies in each of the manipulation signals. Repeated-measures ANOVAs were used to test effects of each of the sensory manipulations, of visual conditions and their interaction. Overall, sensory manipulations increased body sway compared with the control conditions. Absence of normal visual information had no effect on sway, while explicit feedback reduced sway. Furthermore, interactions of visual information and sensory manipulation were found at specific dominant frequencies for GVS and VMS, with explicit feedback reducing the effects of the manipulations but not effacing these.


1994 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mero Antti ◽  
Paavo V. Komi ◽  
Tapio Korjus ◽  
Enrique Navarro ◽  
Robert J. Gregor

This study investigated body segment contributions to javelin throwing during the last thrust phases. A 3-D analysis was performed on male and female javelin throwers during the finals of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. The subjects were videotaped from the right sight of the throwing area by two NAC high-speed cameras operating at 100 frames per second. Both men’s and women’s grip of javelin and body center of mass displayed a curved pathway to the right from the left (bracing) foot during the final foot contact. The position of the body center of mass decreased at the beginning of the final foot contact, but after the decrease period it began to increase. Simultaneously with the increase, the peak joint center speeds occurred in a proper sequence from proximal to distal segments and finally to the javelin at release. Release speed correlated significantly with throwing distance in both male and females.


Author(s):  
Juan Baus ◽  
John R Harry ◽  
James Yang

Jumping strategies differ considerably depending on athletes’ physical activity demands. In general, the jumping motion is desired to have excellent performance and low injury risk. Both of these outcomes can be achieved by modifying athletes’ jumping and landing mechanics. This paper presents a consecutive study on the optimization-based subject-specific planar human vertical jumping to test different loading conditions (weighted vest) during jumping with or without elbow flexion during the arm-swing based on the validated prediction model in the first part of this study. The sagittal plane skeletal model simulates the weighting, unweighting, breaking, propulsion phases and considers four loading conditions: 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15% body weight. Results show that the maximum ground reaction forces, the body center of mass position, and velocities at the take-off instant are different for different loading conditions and with/without elbow flexion. The optimization formulation is solved using MATLAB® with 35 design variables with 197 nonlinear constraints for a five-segment body model and 42 design variables with 227 nonlinear constraints for a six-segment body model. Both models are computationally efficient, and they can predict ground reaction forces, the body center of mass position, and velocity. This work is novel in the sense that presents a simulation model capable of considering different external loading conditions and the effect of elbow flexion during arm swing.


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