title: Gait analysis of people walking on tactile ground surface indicators.
abstract: Tactile ground surface indicators installed on sidewalks help visually impaired people walk safely. The visually impaired distinguish the indicators by stepping into its convexities and following them. However, these indicators sometimes cause the nonvisually impaired to stumble. This study examines the effects of these indicators by comparing the kinematic and kinetic variables of walking on paths with and without indicators. The results suggest that walking on the indicators causes extra movements of the lower extremities such as increased minimum toe heights during the midswing phase, increased peak hip flex moments, and increased peak hip heights. This study also suggests that a functional leg length discrepancy while walking on the indicators is one of the reasons for the extra movements of the lower extremities. Therefore, we designed a new recessed tactile surface to offset the differences of surface depth while walking on the path containing indicators, and found that the newly designed recessed tactile surface was effective in reducing the extra movements while walking on the path in which indicators were installed. These indicators may help both the visually impaired and elderly people with normal vision to walk safely.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Human Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama 359-1192, Japan. yoshikobo@moegi.waseda.jp
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Takamichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takashima
authors.forename: Mieko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D005528:Foot / Q000502:physiology; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D019415:Torque; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*