Predicting Ground Reaction Forces in Sprint Running Using a Shank Mounted Inertial Measurement Unit

The transition from a stationary crouch on running-blocks to an erect running position is critical to success in sprint running. Three elite sprinters repeated five sprint starts on a 50 m-long instrumented running track each wearing three inertial measurement units (IMU) on both shanks. The IMU profiles and force plate data was highly consistent between runs. The increasing maximum ground force was correlated with the IMU data using a linear fit and gyroscope triggered acceleration component. Both techniques show promise (r2 > 0.5). This is of significant interest to athletes and coaches using IMUs rather than a long, instrumented running track.Griffith Sciences, School of Engineering and Built EnvironmentFull Tex