Capturing gait parameters during asymmetric overground walking using ultra-wideband radars: A preliminary study

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Sensor Technology
• Gait Analysis

Background:

• Gait analysis is crucial for diagnosing mobility impairments.
• Current methods can be cumbersome or lack unobtrusiveness.
• Ultra-wideband (UWB) radar offers potential for contactless gait monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the deployability of UWB radar sensors for detecting and analyzing gait patterns during asymmetric locomotion.
• To assess the accuracy of UWB radar in quantifying gait asymmetry.
• To determine the system's ability to differentiate various levels of gait impairment.

Main Methods:

• Ten able-bodied participants walked a 6-meter path with induced asymmetry using a knee brace.
• Six UWB radar sensors captured gait data.
• A signal processing framework extracted seven spatiotemporal gait parameters using Range-Doppler-Time representation.
• Gait asymmetry was quantified using step time symmetry ratios.
• Results were validated against a motion capture system.

Main Results:

• Radar-based gait parameters were estimated with 88.2-98.8% accuracy compared to motion capture.
• Step time symmetry ratios were captured with 95.6±2.8% accuracy.
• The UWB radar system effectively distinguished between different gait impairment levels.

Conclusions:

• Commercially available UWB radar sensors are deployable for accurate gait analysis.
• The system enables unobtrusive, in-home monitoring of gait disturbances and asymmetries.
• This technology can aid in characterizing gait and extracting frailty biomarkers.