scholarly journals A Comparative Evaluation of Inertial Sensors for Gait and Jump Analysis

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 5990
Author(s):  
Isaia Andrenacci ◽  
Riccardo Boccaccini ◽  
Alice Bolzoni ◽  
Giulio Colavolpe ◽  
Cosimo Costantino ◽  
...  

Gait and jump anomalies are often used as indicators to identify the presence and state of disorders that involve motor symptoms. Physical tests are often performed in specialized laboratories, which offer reliable and accurate results, but require long and costly analyses performed by specialized personnel. The use of inertial sensors for gait and jump evaluation offers an easy-to-use low-cost alternative, potentially applicable by the patients themselves at home. In this paper, we compared three inertial measurement units that are available on the market by means of well-known standardized tests for the evaluation of gait and jump behavior. The aim of the study was to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each of the tested sensors, considered in different tests, by comparing data collected on two healthy subjects. Data were processed to identify the phases of the movement and the possible inaccuracies of each sensor. The analysis showed that some of the considered inertial units could be reliably used to identify the gait and jump phases and could be employed to detect anomalies, potentially suggesting the presence of disorders.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 715-718 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Graurock ◽  
Thomas Schauer ◽  
Thomas Seel

AbstractInertial sensor networks enable realtime gait analysis for a multitude of applications. The usability of inertial measurement units (IMUs), however, is limited by several restrictions, e.g. a fixed and known sensor placement. To enhance the usability of inertial sensor networks in every-day live, we propose a method that automatically determines which sensor is attached to which segment of the lower limbs. The presented method exhibits a low computational workload, and it uses only the raw IMU data of 3 s of walking. Analyzing data from over 500 trials with healthy subjects and Parkinson’s patients yields a correct-pairing success rate of 99.8% after 3 s and 100% after 5 s.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1804
Author(s):  
Jorge Posada-Ordax ◽  
Julia Cosin-Matamoros ◽  
Marta Elena Losa-Iglesias ◽  
Ricardo Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo ◽  
Laura Esteban-Gonzalo ◽  
...  

In recent years, interest in finding alternatives for the evaluation of mobility has increased. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) stand out for their portability, size, and low price. The objective of this study was to examine the accuracy and repeatability of a commercially available IMU under controlled conditions in healthy subjects. A total of 36 subjects, including 17 males and 19 females were analyzed with a Wiva Science IMU in a corridor test while walking for 10 m and in a threadmill at 1.6 km/h, 2.4 km/h, 3.2 km/h, 4 km/h, and 4.8 km/h for one minute. We found no difference when we compared the variables at 4 km/h and 4.8 km/h. However, we found greater differences and errors at 1.6 km/h, 2.4 km/h and 3.2 km/h, and the latter one (1.6 km/h) generated more error. The main conclusion is that the Wiva Science IMU is reliable at high speeds but loses reliability at low speeds.


2014 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavol Kajánek

Inertial navigation system (INS) is a self-contained navigation technique. Its main purpose is to determinate the position and the trajectory of the object´s movement in space. This technique is well represented not only as a supplementary method (GPS/INS integrated system) but as an autonomous system for navigation of vehicles and pedestrians, also. The aim of this paper is to design a test for low-cost inertial measurement units. The test results give us information about accuracy, which determine the possible use in indoor navigation or other applications. There are described some methods for processing the data obtained by inertial measurement units, which remove noise and improve accuracy of position and orientation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 82-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaldo G. Leal-Junior ◽  
Laura Vargas-Valencia ◽  
Wilian M. dos Santos ◽  
Felipe B.A. Schneider ◽  
Adriano A.G. Siqueira ◽  
...  

Robotics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 99
Author(s):  
Stefan Schulz

In this paper, we investigate the accuracy and the computational efficiency of an IMU-based approach for solving the direct kinematics problem of parallel mechanisms with length-variable linear actuators under dynamic conditions. By avoiding to measure the linear actuators’ lengths and by using orientations instead, a comprehensive, low-cost sensor structure can be obtained that provides a unique solution for the direct kinematics problem. As a representative example, we apply our approach to the planar 3-RPR parallel mechanism, where P denotes active prismatic joints and R denotes passive revolute joints, and investigate the achievable accuracy and robustness on a specially designed experimental device. In this context, we also investigate the effect of sensor fusion on the achievable accuracy and compare our results with those obtained from linear actuators’ lengths when the Newton-Raphson algorithm is used to compute the manipulator platform’s pose iteratively. Finally, we discuss the applicability of inertial measurement units (IMUs) for solving the direct kinematics problem of parallel mechanisms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (02) ◽  
pp. 88-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás E. Ward ◽  
Eamonn Delahunt ◽  
Brian Caulfield ◽  
Darragh F. Whelan ◽  
Martin A. O'Reilly

SummaryBackground: The single leg squat (SLS) is a common lower limb rehabilitation exercise. It is also frequently used as an evaluative exercise to screen for an increased risk of lower limb injury. To date athlete/patient SLS technique has been assessed using expensive laboratory equipment or subjective clinical judgement; both of which are not without shortcomings. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) may offer a low cost solution for the objective evaluation of athlete/patient SLS technique.Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine if in combination or in isolation IMUs positioned on the lumbar spine, thigh and shank are capable of: (a) distinguishing between acceptable and aberrant SLS technique; (b) identifying specific deviations from acceptable SLS technique.Methods: Eighty-three healthy volunteers participated (60 males, 23 females, age: 24.68 +/− 4.91 years, height: 1.75 +/− 0.09 m, body mass: 76.01 +/− 13.29 kg). All participants performed 10 SLSs on their left leg. IMUs were positioned on participants’ lumbar spine, left shank and left thigh. These were utilized to record tri-axial accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer data during all repetitions of the SLS. SLS technique was labelled by a Chartered Physiotherapist using an evaluation framework. Features were extracted from the labelled sensor data. These features were used to train and evaluate a variety of random-forests classifiers that assessed SLS technique.Results: A three IMU system was moderately successful in detecting the overall quality of SLS performance (77% accuracy, 77% sensitivity and 78% specificity). A single IMU worn on the shank can complete the same analysis with 76% accuracy, 75% sensitivity and 76% specificity. Single sensors also produce competitive classification scores relative to multi-sensor systems in identifying specific deviations from acceptable SLS technique.Conclusions: A single IMU positioned on the shank can differentiate between acceptable and aberrant SLS technique with moderate levels of accuracy. It can also capably identify specific deviations from optimal SLS performance. IMUs may offer a low cost solution for the objective evaluation of SLS performance. Additionally, the classifiers described may provide useful input to an exercise biofeed-back application.


Procedia CIRP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 204-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn Cramer ◽  
Jeroen Cramer ◽  
David De Schepper ◽  
Peter Aerts ◽  
Karel Kellens ◽  
...  

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 4033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Oudre ◽  
Rémi Barrois-Müller ◽  
Thomas Moreau ◽  
Charles Truong ◽  
Aliénor Vienne-Jumeau ◽  
...  

This article presents a method for step detection from accelerometer and gyrometer signals recorded with Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). The principle of our step detection algorithm is to recognize the start and end times of the steps in the signal thanks to a predefined library of templates. The algorithm is tested on a database of 1020 recordings, composed of healthy subjects and patients with various neurological or orthopedic troubles. Simulations on more than 40,000 steps show that the template-based method achieves remarkable results with a 98% recall and a 98% precision. The method adapts well to pathological subjects and can be used in a medical context for robust step estimation and gait characterization.


Author(s):  
Elisa Digo ◽  
Giuseppina Pierro ◽  
Stefano Pastorelli ◽  
Laura Gastaldi

The increasing number of postural disorders emphasizes the central role of the vertebral spine during gait. Indeed, clinicians need an accurate and non-invasive method to evaluate the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program on spinal kinematics. Accordingly, the aim of this work was the use of inertial sensors for the assessment of angles among vertebral segments during gait. The spine was partitioned into five segments and correspondingly five inertial measurement units were positioned. Articulations between two adjacent spine segments were modeled with spherical joints, and the tilt–twist method was adopted to evaluate flexion–extension, lateral bending and axial rotation. In total, 18 young healthy subjects (9 males and 9 females) walked barefoot in three different conditions. The spinal posture during gait was efficiently evaluated considering the patterns of planar angles of each spine segment. Some statistically significant differences highlighted the influence of gender, speed and imposed cadence. The proposed methodology proved the usability of inertial sensors for the assessment of spinal posture and it is expected to efficiently point out trunk compensatory pattern during gait in a clinical context.


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