Gait Tracker Shoe For Accurate Step-By-Step Determination Of Gait Parameters

Step-by-step determination of gait parameters provides insight into the variability of specific gait patterns associated with frequent injuries in the lower extremities of adolescents and with geriatric syndromes of the elderly. Numerous methods have been developed for the step-by-step estimation of gait parameters, but most are expensive, obtrusive, inconvenient, and/or inaccurate.In this paper, we developed an innovative shoe, called the "Gait Tracker", with a low power inertial measurement unit (IMU) embedded in a 3D printed sole that provides unobtrusive, continuous, and accurate step-by-step measurement of gait parameters for individual use. This shoe enables out-of-lab gait monitoring in a wide range of activities and over an extended period of time. Experimental results from controlled studies demonstrated that the Gait Tracker can recognize various gait events and provide better accuracy in stride length measurement compared to previous systems and methods.