Estimation of stride length in walking using a single inertial measurement unit attached to the waist

Abstract

The estimation of spatial and temporal parameters is crucial in the assessment of gait abnormalities. To this purpose, inertial measurement units (IMUs), a combination of miniature angular rate and linear acceleration sensors, have been used in the determination of gait temporal events. In particular, some studies presented methods for determining temporal parameters from a single IMU. However, few attempts have been made to estimate the spatial parameters of gait, but never with a single IMU. This preliminary study aims at determining the whole body progression displacement patterns during a single gait cycle and for the length of a walking path (125 m) from the signals of a single IMU and by making use of task specific known a priori information. The estimate of the pattern of the progression displacement was then compared to those extracted from a stereophotogrammetric system for validation purposes.