Validation method for body-mounted sensor attachments

Abstract

Abstract Small sensor devices like inertial measurement units enable mobile movement and gait analysis, whereby existing systems differ in data acquisition, data processing, and gait parameter calculation. Concerning the validation, recent studies focus on the captured motion and the influence of sensor positioning with respect to the accuracy of the computed biomechanical parameters in comparison to a reference system. Although soft tissue artifact is a major source of error for skin-mounted sensors, there are no investigations regarding the relative movement between the body segment and sensor attachment itself. The aim of this study is to find an evaluation method and to determine parameters that allow the validation of various sensor attachment types and different sensor positionings. The analysis includes the comparison between an adhesive and strap attachment variant as well as the frontal and lateral sensor placement. To validate different attachments, an optical marker-based tracking system was used to measure the body segment and sensor position during movement. The distance between these two positions was calculated and analyzed to determine suitable validation parameters. Despite the exploratory research, the results suggest a feasible validation method to detect differences between the attachments, independent of the sensor type. To have representative and statistically validated results, further studies that involve more participants are necessary.