Wearable Sensor Based Gait Asymmetry Visualization Tool

Real time visualization of gait asymmetry can provide added value in rehabilitation, clinics and sports. Common approaches for the quantification of gait asymmetry give the numerical values of parameters such as symmetry index, symmetry ratio, symmetry angle etc. It may be difficult for users to understand those numerical values. In order to conveniently use quantitative gait asymmetry monitoring for users, an affordable visualization tool is useful to provide a facility for their use in clinic and at home. This paper investigates four approaches for monitoring gait asymmetry to provide automatic graphical visualizations of information about gait. The results show that affordable wearable Inertial Measurement Unit sensors can be used for objective gait asymmetry feature extraction without the requirement and expense of an elaborate laboratory setup. Our procedure significantly simplifies the monitoring protocols and opens possibilities for home based assessment and supports digital transformation strategies through the development of new technology