A wireless sensory feedback system for real-time gait modification

• Published in: 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Vol. 2011; pp. 1507 - 1510
• Main Authors: Redd, C. B., Bamberg, S. J. M.
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.01.2011
• Subjects: Adult; Biofeedback, Psychology - instrumentation; Biofeedback, Psychology - methods; Computer Systems; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Female; Foot - physiopathology; Gait; Gait Disorders, Neurologic - rehabilitation; Haptic interfaces; Humans; Instruments; Male; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sensor systems; Shoes; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Telemetry - instrumentation; Testing; Transducers, Pressure; Visualization; Wireless communication; Wireless sensor networks
• ISBN: 9781424441211; 1424441218
• ISSN: 1094-687X; 1557-170X; 1558-4615
• DOI: 10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6090344

Current rehabilitation technology and techniques have proven effective at modifying and correcting gait abnormalities. They are however limited to laboratory and clinical settings, under the supervision of a specialist. Conventional techniques for quantifying gait asymmetries can be combined with sensory feedback methods to provide an intuitive and inexpensive feedback system for extra-clinical rehabilitation. A wireless feedback system has been designed to collect gait information, process it in real-time, and provide corrective feedback to the user. The corrective feedback can be presented through visual, audible, or vibrotactile methods, or a combination thereof. Initial results have led to improvement in the sensory interface of the device to maximize the corrective influence on inexperienced subjects. These preliminary findings suggest that the wireless feedback device can influence the gait of the user, and effectively adapt to their personal feedback preferences.