Abstract
Running has a positive impact on human health and is an accessible sport for most people. There is high demand for tracking running performance and progress for amateurs and professionals alike. The parameters velocity and distance are thereby of main interest. In this work, we evaluate the accuracy of four algorithms, which calculate the stride velocity and stride length during running using data of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) placed in the midsole of a running shoe. The four algorithms are based on stride time, foot acceleration, foot trajectory estimation, and deep learning, respectively. They are compared using two studies: a laboratory-based study comprising 2377 strides from 27 subjects with 3D motion tracking as a reference and a field study comprising 12 subjects performing a 3.2-km run in a real-world setup. The results show that the foot trajectory estimation algorithm performs best, achieving a mean error of 0.032 ± 0.274 m/s for the velocity estimation and 0.022 ± 0.157 m for the stride length. An interesting alternative for systems with a low energy budget is the acceleration-based approach. Our results support the implementation decision for running velocity and distance tracking using IMUs embedded in the sole of a running shoe.
Highlights
Distance running is a very popular sport
The results show that the Trajectory algorithm performed best considering both the mean error (ME) ± standard deviation (Std) and the mean absolute error (MAE)
Based on the presented results, we argue that the Trajectory algorithm has high standard deviations in the lab study for the stride length calculation, these have no major impact on the computation for longer distances based on stride length
Summary
Distance running is a very popular sport. Two main reasons for this popularity are simplicity and the health benefit, as running can be done in small and restricted time-frames and does not require a specific location. Studies have shown that aerobic endurance training like running can reduce blood pressure [1] and that moderate running twice a week (>51 min or six miles) reduces overall mortality risk and the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases [2]. Overtraining can lead to a higher risk of injury of the lower extremities for distance runners [3]
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