Foot and Ankle Kinematics During Gait Using Foot Mounted Inertial System

S.P. Kwakkel, S. Godha, and G. Lachapelle

Abstract:	This paper evaluates the performance of field-portable, low cost IMUs for the kinematic analysis of foot/ankle rotations. Three MEMS-based IMU sensors are attached to the left leg of test subjects, who were then asked to walk a flat ground course of 40 m. A global averaged gait profile including five individuals was computed using stride detection algorithms, while IMU drift errors were mitigated by Zero Velocity Updates (ZUPTs) made during the stance phase. The results were compared against those of a landmark study in foot and ankle kinematics. In a single case, an individual was asked to walk a 40 m straight-line course uphill with a 9% grade. A comparison is made between this individual’s flatground and hill gait profile, and the results are again compared to published literature. In both cases, flat ground and hill, the results provided by IMU-based kinematic analysis of the foot/ankle were very promising and will lead to more research in this area.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2007 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 22 - 24, 2007 The Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	1056 - 1064
Cite this article:	Kwakkel, S.P., Godha, S., Lachapelle, G., "Foot and Ankle Kinematics During Gait Using Foot Mounted Inertial System," Proceedings of the 2007 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, January 2007, pp. 1056-1064.
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