Pilot Study of the EncephaLog Smartphone Application for Gait Analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Technology

Background:

• Gait disorders and falls are prevalent in the elderly and various clinical conditions.
• Current evaluations of gait are often infrequent, subjective, and limited in scope.
• The Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) test completion time is a key biomarker for mobility and fall risk prediction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present EncephaLog, an extended smartphone application for detailed gait analysis.
• To assess the accuracy of EncephaLog in measuring TUG completion time and additional gait biomarkers.
• To evaluate EncephaLog as a simpler, more accessible alternative to traditional motion lab setups.

Main Methods:

• Development of the EncephaLog smartphone application utilizing accelerometers and gyroscopes.
• Conducting 32 TUG tests with four healthy adults.
• Simultaneous data collection using EncephaLog, motion capture cameras (MCC), pressure mats, and wearable sensors.

Main Results:

• EncephaLog accurately measured TUG completion time.
• High agreement was observed between EncephaLog-derived gait biomarkers and those from established motion lab equipment.
• The app provides 9 additional gait biomarkers beyond TUG completion time.

Conclusions:

• EncephaLog demonstrates potential as an accurate and simplified instrumented TUG (iTUG) platform.
• The app offers a cost-effective and space-efficient solution for clinical gait analysis and home monitoring.
• Further validation in larger, diverse patient populations is warranted.