Objective Gait Analysis for Low-Resource Settings

Abstract

We are developing an instrumental gait analysis system for the Poovanthi Institute of Rehabilitation and Elder Care. Existing solutions are either expensive or lack accuracy. Our device needs to measure stride length, step width, step cadence, distance, and time accurately. It should also be durable and have data interpretation capabilities. Our final design consists of a magnetophoretic mat paired with IMUs to capture key gait parameters. Patients will walk on the mat to produce an image of their gait which will be captured and processed on a computer that runs Python to determine spatial gait parameters and IMUs will be used to determine temporal parameters. An operator will interface with the computer to capture the image and produce results that will be stored on the cloud. A build design has been created to aid in the verification of the mat. Currently, our design meets the majority of our specifications. On top of continuing the verification and validation process, our recommendations for future work on this design is to create a full system that encompasses the mat and IMUs separately, finish testing for detailed components of the mat, and finalize the camera system used for image capture.