title: Gait event detection during stair walking using a rate gyroscope.
abstract: Gyroscopes have been proposed as sensors for ambulatory gait analysis and functional electrical stimulation systems. These applications often require detection of the initial contact (IC) of the foot with the floor and/or final contact or foot off (FO) from the floor during outdoor walking. Previous investigations have reported the use of a single gyroscope placed on the shank for detection of IC and FO on level ground and incline walking. This paper describes the evaluation of a gyroscope placed on the shank for determination of IC and FO in subjects ascending and descending a set of stairs. Performance was compared with a reference pressure measurement system. The absolute mean difference between the gyroscope and the reference was less than 45 ms for IC and better than 135 ms for FO for both activities. Detection success was over 93%. These results provide preliminary evidence supporting the use of a gyroscope for gait event detection when walking up and down stairs.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK. p.catalfamo@bioingenieria.edu.ar.
authors.forename: Paola Catalfamo
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Formento
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, 3101 Oro Verde, Entre Ríos, Argentina. racevedo@bioingenieria.edu.ar.
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Acevedo
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK. s.ghoussayni@surrey.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghoussayni
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK. d.ewins@surrey.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ewins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013997:Time Factors; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*