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Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion
Published on: January 15, 2016
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Walking Gait Step Length Asymmetry Induced by Handheld Device
Summary
Holding a smartphone while walking disrupts gait symmetry, invalidating assumptions in pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) models. This asymmetry can lead to significant errors in estimating traveled distance.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Robotics
Background:
- Human gait modeling is essential for applications like biomechanics, localization, and robotics.
- Pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) often assumes gait symmetry and identical steps, even with handheld devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the impact of carrying a smartphone-equivalent mass on gait symmetry and PDR accuracy.
- To challenge the assumption of gait symmetry in PDR models.
Main Methods:
- Ten healthy volunteers participated in motion lab tests.
- Participants walked with a 0.190 kg device in hand under various carrying modes and speeds.
- Gait parameters were analyzed to assess step symmetry and duration.
Main Results:
- Carrying a smartphone-mass device significantly alters step duration, even at fixed walking speeds.
- This asymmetry invalidates the classical gait symmetry hypothesis used in PDR step length modeling.
- The assumption of gait symmetry can introduce 2.5% to 6.3% error in estimated traveled distance.
Conclusions:
- The presence of a handheld device breaks gait symmetry, impacting PDR models.
- PDR models relying on gait symmetry may overestimate or underestimate traveled distance.
- Future PDR strategies should account for device-induced gait asymmetry.
