A Wireless Sensorized Insole Design for Spatio-Temporal Gait Analysis

Abstract

Gait disorders significantly affect the quality of life and limit individual freedom of the subjects affected. Our knowledge of the spatio-temporal gait parameters provides great insight into the musculoskeletal biology, especially into the foot pathology during gait. The aim of our study was to develop a wireless insole system for both feet and to quantify the gait parameters along with the center of pressure (CP) trajectory. Force-sensitive resistors (FSRs) were used as the pressure sensing elements for experimental study on a total of 10 healthy subjects (28 ± 2.7 years). The subjects were asked to walk with the instrumented insoles on three different terrain lengths of 12, 16, or 20 m. The gait parameters (number of strides, stride length, % swing, % stance, etc.), and the CP trajectory for each step of both feet was calculated. It was statistically established that the stance percentage of each foot is generally greater, on average, than the swing percentage. Continuous evaluation of the foot trajectory revealed new insights into the intratrial characteristics of the subjects. The reproducibility of the device has been tested by repeating the experiment for three trials for each path length, and the results demonstrated that the gait parameters, including CP positions, are consistent with each other. An indigenous device has been developed to quantify various gait parameters. The CP trajectories were compared for each trial of a subject, and the results led to the conclusion that the gait of a subject remains constant, irrespectively of the number of trials and path distance. The parameters and CP characteristics provide beneficial knowledge of the appropriate gait performance evaluation and foot functions for clinical rehabilitation.