The Beginning

SLSPO Visit

The group visited SLSPO on 24^th July 2014 as an initiation to have a collaborated work with SLSPO.Two groups presented their project ideas to the officials at SLSPO on that day. This visit was mainly arranged to have feedbacks from SLSPO officials about the importance of our projects. The following feedback was taken as of importance for project fulfillment.

Applications of a Gait analysis system

Proposed system was mainly focused on Amputees. After the discussionit was decided to focus on Orthotic applications also. The following are the outcomes for orthotics which can be implemented through the project,

• Control, guide, limit and/or immobilize an extremity, joint or body segment for a particular reason
• Restrict movement in a given direction
• Aid rehabilitation from fractures after the removal of a cast
• Correct the shape and/or function of the body, to provideeasy movements or reduce pain

Required Parameters

They were mentioning the applications of knee angle measurements for the rehabilitation process. It was identified the knee angle measurement would be a major requirement of IMU based gait analysis system. Symmetry of gait was expected as another measurement of Gait analysis system. Distance of gait phases can be measured using the symmetry of gait. Ankle and knee joint measurements were highlighted for the pre and post procedures during the rehabilitation process. Analyzing sitting and standing patterns was another application where the knee angle measurements are applied.

Wireless vs. Wired Solution

Wireless system was accepted as the suitable solution for the practical scenario due to the easiness of the setup as well as the minimum interruption for the data gathering.

Data Analysis Methods

We were requested to develop a video which correlate with gait phases. Our proposed solution was based on graphs with the gathered data. It would be better to visualize the motion with a video. Real time visualization will make it easy for the physician to analyze the gait pattern of the patient.

Mobile Application Development

According to the view of the gathering the demand for a mobile application for data logging is not that much significant for the applications at SLSPO. Since we are trying to introduce this system for Sri Lankan Hospitals we were asked to focus with the Laptop whichis readily available in almost all the hospitals at the moment supports data collecting.

Discussion

Apart from that following are some of the comments given by the SLSPO officials related to our projects. Some of the foreign specialists in the gait analysis field also joined the discussion and helped us to point out some important facts.

·         Application for orthotic situations (for children, people with disabilities).

·         Incorporating a synchronized video footage of the subject to the PC software is a major requirement as a deliverable of the project.

·         Vertical and lateral displacement needs to be measured

·         Tilting is also a major issue with disabled people

·         Amputee is not the ideal population for the system. System must concentrate more towards orthotics subjects.

·         Comparing knee angles would be expected measurements in SLSPO officers’ perspective

·         Sitting and standing patterns can be identified using knee and ankle measurements

·         Ankle and joint angle changes are very important for pre and post procedures during rehabilitation.

·         Symmetry of gait is another missing parameter in our proposed solution. Symmetry of gait can be evaluated using distances traveled in each gait phase. Symmetry of the gait phases should be included as a parameter of the system.

·         Wireless solution was accepted considering the user friendliness.

The Motivation

The goal of this project is to use MEMS Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to capture the
gait parameters to analyze gait in the lower limb amputees. IMUs normally have three-axis
accelerometer and three-axis gyroscope. Data directly obtained by neither gyroscope nor accelerometer cannot be used to characterize the motion produced during the gait. But, combining
both of these signals using advanced techniques called sensor fusion algorithms, an accurate
measure of gait parameters can be obtained. IMUs enable us to collect data without cameras,
so this system can be used anywhere to measure biomechanics of a patient.