Base of Support, Step Length and Stride Width Estimation during Walking Using an Inertial and Infrared Wearable...

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Wearable Technology
• Human Gait Analysis

Background:

• Human gait stability analysis relies on accurate estimation of the base of support (BoS).
• Current methods for measuring BoS parameters like step length and stride width are confined to laboratory settings.
• Real-world estimation of these gait parameters remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel, compact wearable system for estimating base of support parameters.
• To assess the system's feasibility for real-world gait analysis.
• To provide an alternative to laboratory-bound measurement techniques.

Main Methods:

• Development of a wearable system integrating a magneto-inertial measurement unit and time-of-flight proximity sensors.
• Validation of the system on thirteen healthy adults across three walking speeds (slow, comfortable, fast).
• Comparison of wearable system data against stereophotogrammetric measurements as the gold standard.

Main Results:

• The wearable system demonstrated low root mean square errors for step length (10-46 mm), stride width (14-18 mm), and base of support area (39-52 cm²).
• Mean overlap of the base of support area between the wearable system and stereophotogrammetry ranged from 70% to 89%.
• The system proved effective across different self-selected walking speeds.

Conclusions:

• The proposed compact wearable system is a valid tool for estimating base of support parameters.
• This technology enables accurate gait analysis outside of laboratory environments.
• The findings support the use of wearable sensors for real-world biomechanical assessments.