Estimating Running Ground Reaction Forces from Plantar Pressure during Graded Running

Ground reaction forces (GRFs) describe how runners interact with their surroundings and provide the basis for computing inverse dynamics. Wearable technology can predict time-continuous GRFs during walking and running; however, the majority of GRF predictions examine level ground locomotion. The purpose of this manuscript was to predict vertical and anterior-posterior GRFs across different speeds and slopes. Eighteen recreationally active subjects ran on an instrumented treadmill while we collected GRFs and plantar pressure. Subjects ran on level ground at 2.6, 3.0, 3.4, and 3.8 m/s, six degrees inclined at 2.6, 2.8, and 3.0 m/s, and six degrees declined at 2.6, 2.8, 3.0, and 3.4 m/s. We estimated GRFs using a set of linear models and a recurrent neural network, which used speed, slope, and plantar pressure as inputs. We also tested eliminating speed and slope as inputs. The recurrent neural network outperformed the linear model across all conditions, especially with the prediction of anterior-posterior GRFs. Eliminating speed and slope as model inputs had little effect on performance. We also demonstrate that subject-specific model training can reduce errors from 8% to 3%. With such low errors, researchers can use these wearable-based GRFs to understand running performance or injuries in real-world settings.